great auk
Lost Atlantic diver
The great auk was a large flightless seabird of the North Atlantic, hunted to extinction by the mid-nineteenth century.
Standing about thirty inches tall with small wings useless for flight, it was easy prey for sailors seeking meat, eggs, and feathers.
The last confirmed pair was killed in Iceland in 1844.
The great auk is often cited alongside the dodo as a symbol of human-caused extinction.
Vanished flightless bird
- passenger pigeonExtinct migratory North American dove
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- specimenIndividual for examination
- museumPublic exhibit space
egg · skin · collection · hunting · exploitation · eradication · population collapse · bounty
Flightless aquatic southern bird
- puffinStocky auk, bright beak
- razorbillNorth Atlantic auk species
- guillemotAuk of northern coasts
- murreDiving auk species
seabird · flightless · colony · plumage · beak · wingspan · feathers · nesting
Ocean basin, northwestern
- IcelandNordic island republic
- NewfoundlandCanadian Atlantic island province
- ScotlandNorthern British nation
- rocky shoresStone-covered coastal margins
breeding grounds · nesting site · coastal · migration · fish · herring · capelin · ocean
Story illustrating consequences
- lossBeing without something
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
- legacyWhat's passed down
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
de-extinction · biodiversity · endangered species · human impact · natural heritage · preservation
dodo
Vanished flightless bird
- passenger pigeonExtinct migratory North American dove
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- specimenIndividual for examination
museum · egg · skin · collection · hunting · exploitation · eradication · population collapse · bounty · slaughter
penguin
Flightless aquatic southern bird
murre · seabird · flightless · colony · plumage · beak · wingspan · feathers · nesting · breeding
North Atlantic
Ocean basin, northwestern
- IcelandNordic island republic
- NewfoundlandCanadian Atlantic island province
- ScotlandNorthern British nation
rocky shores · breeding grounds · nesting site · coastal · migration · fish · herring · capelin · ocean · cold water
cautionary tale
Story illustrating consequences
awareness · de-extinction · biodiversity · endangered species · human impact · natural heritage · preservation
great aukAmerican bison
North America's largest land mammal
gray whale · bald eagle · peregrine falcon · whooping crane · California condor
great, greatly, greatest, greater, greatness, auk, auks, auklet