Auks, or alcids, are birds in the family Alcidae within the order Charadriiformes. This family includes 25 extant or recently extinct species such as murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets, found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere.
While auks resemble penguins with their black-and-white coloring and upright posture, they are not closely related and share these traits due to convergent evolution. Both males and females have similar appearances, making them monomorphic.
