This is Bird Note.

The Razor Bill is a black seabird with white underparts and black head.

Its dark bill, crisply marked in white, has a blunt, rounded tip.

It stands a head taller than its cousin, the Atlantic Puffin.

Razor Bill's nest in colonies, principally on the coast of Iceland, in crevices among boulders.

To feed, they make wing-propelled dives to hunt small fish, sometimes reaching depths below 300 feet.

Pairs usually mate for life.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about Razor Bills is their synchronized swimming.

Before they lay eggs in summer, they take part in two different group social behaviors.

In one, the Razor B Bill swim round and round in a tight

mass, then dive as one. Next, they all surfaced together with heads aligned and stretched upward,

with their bills held open. In a second group behavior, dozens of birds swim in a line,

then zigzag together in a synchronized pattern across the ocean's surface.

For razor bills, which breed and hunt for food in groups,

these carefully coordinated movements are how they get in sync.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.