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[HBW - BirdLife (v3)] |
19/04/2024 07:19:12 PM |
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| Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] |
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| EX |
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Great Auk* |
Id (Atlas): |
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Pinguinus impennis |
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Description (10)
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Great Auk
© sdakotabirds.com
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Summer: Blackish-brown above, with narrow white tips on secondaries and large white spots on lores. White below, except for dark throat and chin. Bill and feet black. Winter: White face patches reduced to a narrow white line, throat becomes white. Webbed toes end in short claws. Sexes similar.
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Family
Alcidae (Auks)
Size
70 - 85 cm
First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Habitat
Pelagic, only coming to land to breed.
Canada (E) (B), Faroe Islands (E) (B), Greenland (E) (B), Iceland (E) (B), Ireland (E) (B), United Kingdom (E) (B).
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Canada, north-eastern Unites States, Norway, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom. Migrating south during the winter to Florida and Gibraltar.
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Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Status EX
Extinct. Hunted to extinction in the 19th century. The last pair was collected at Eldey Stack, Iceland in 1844.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Habits
Highly sociable, breeding in vast colonies. Flightless.
Food
Larger fish, including striped bass, capelin and shad. Also crustaceans.
Breeding Season (Guide)
Large colonies on low islands. Only three known breeding sites in North America: Funk Island (largest) and Penguin Island (Newfoundland) and Bird Rocks (Gulf of St. Lawrence). Five colonies in the eastern Atlantic, including two on Iceland, one in the Faroes, one on St. Kilda and one on Orkney. Late May to early June.
Nest
A mound of guano, at the base of a cliff, but often the egg was laid on bare ground. In large colonies, nest very close together.
Eggs (Guide)
1; yellowish-white to ochre, with varying patterns of black, brown or greyish spots and lines, mainly near the larger end; pyriform; about 124 x 76 mm. Incubation: about 42 days; both sexes.
Young
Within two days after hatching are ready for seagoing.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Resembled a giant Razorbill (Alca torda) with similar deep, laterally compressed bill with numerous concentric grooves.
References
See References.
Files:
BirdLife International
For more information about the Great Auk see...  BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Articles about the Great Auk
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From BING (1)
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