Great Auk

Great Auk Status Extinct (1844)
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Binomial name
Pinguinus impennis (Linnaeus, 1758)

At 75 centimetres, the flightless Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis or Alca impennis) was the largest of the auks. It was hunted for food and down for mattresses from at least the 8th century. It is clasified as the only species in the genus Pinguinus.

The Great Auk was once to be found in great numbers on islands off eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland and Britain, but it was eventually hunted to extinction. The last pair was killed July 3 1844 on an island off Iceland.

They were excellent swimmers, using their wings to swim underwater. Unlike other auks, however, the Great Auk could not fly, which is what made it so vulnerable to humans.

The Great Auk, in Welsh pen gwyn ('white head', referring to the prominent white patch on the head), was the origin the name "penguin". When explorers discovered similar- looking birds in the southern hemisphere, the name was applied to them as well.

Great Auks laid only one egg each year.

See also

• Extinct birds

• The Great Auk - An Introduction
• Great Auks described in The Birds of North America