What is Auk?
{{Automatic taxobox | name = Auks | fossil_range = [[Late Eocene]] – recent {{fossil_range|35|0}} | image = Parakeetauklets2.jpg | image_caption = [[Parakeet auklet]]s (''Aethia psittacula'') | taxon = Alcidae | authority = [[William Elford Leach|Leach]], 1820 | type_species = ''[[Alca torda]]'' | type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = * '''[[Alcinae]]''' <small>Leach, 1820</small> * '''[[Fraterculinae]]''' <small>Strauch, 1985</small> }} The '''auk''' is a type of [[bird]]. It is the English word for any bird in the [[family (taxonomy)|family]] Alcidae. There are many species of auk. They live in the northern [[northern hemisphere|half of Planet Earth]]. Some auks are small birds and some are medium-sized birds. All auks live on or near the ocean. They have long, thick bodies. They have small wings and tails. They have short legs and [[webbed feet]]. Auks do not walk well. They flap their wings very fast to fly. When they fly, they cannot change direction as fast as other birds can. But auks swim and dive well.<ref name=RSPB>{{cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/auk-family/|publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|title=Auks|accessdate=June 21, 2022}}</ref> Auks look like penguins because they are usually black and white in color, with black on the back and white on the belly. But auks and penguins are not closely related. They do not live in the same places. Auks can fly and penguins cannot.<ref name=NHPBS>{{cite web|url=https://nhpbs.org/wild/Alcidae.asp|accessdate=June 21, 2022|title=Alcidae - Auks, Murres, Puffins|work=Wildlife Junior|publisher=New Hampshire Public Broadcasting Service}}</ref> Most auks live on the ocean. They stay far from land for months. They come to land to build nests, lay eggs, and raise young auk chicks.<ref name=NHPBS /> ==Groups== There are 11 genuses<ref name=ITIS>{{cite web|url=https://www.itis.gov/ser