little auk

American  

[lit-l awk] / ˈlɪt l ˈɔk /

noun

1. a small black-and-white auk, Alle alle, of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, having a very short beak and a short, rounded tail: an important winter food source among the Inuit.

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Etymology

Origin of little auk

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

little auk

"The little auk, also known as the dovekie, emerges as a sentinel species in monitoring Arctic environmental shifts," says Dr. Anders Mosbech, co-author from Aarhus University.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024

In the remote wilderness of Northwest Greenland, the research team employed passive acoustic and imaging technologies to uncover the hidden rhythms of little auk colonies.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024

Looking somewhat like a dove-sized penguin, the little auk is helpless on land.

From Time Magazine Archive

Also applied to the little auk or sea dove.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section D and E by Project Gutenberg

The rotchie, or little auk, lays its single egg upon the bare rock, far within a crevice beyond the reach of fox, owl, or burgomaster gull.

From In the Arctic Seas A Narrative of the Discovery of the Fate of Sir John Franklin and his Companions by McClintock, Francis Leopold