Swimming & Flying

Swimming:
Razorbills spend much of the year well out to sea. They often swim in 'rafts', bobbing up and down in the swell. As with other auks, they are expert underwater swimmers, using their wings.

Flying:
A razorbill takes off from the water rather clumsily, feet pattering along the surface, but then it flies strongly with rapid wing-beats. During the late summer, the birds moult all their flight feathers at the same time, making them unable to fly for a while.