The great auk was a flightless black and white seabird and one of only two extinct species on the British List of birds maintained by the British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU), the other being the Eskimo curlew.
At its peak, the great auk’s population likely numbered in the millions. While the Little Ice Age may have contributed to its decline by increasing exposure to predators such as polar bears, it was relentless human exploitation for its down that truly decimated the species.
By the mid-16th century, nesting colonies along the European side of the Atlantic had been nearly wiped out, as hunters killed the birds for their feathers, which were used to make pillows. Great auk eggs, three times the size of a guillemot’s with large yolks, were also highly prized as a food source.
The last recorded sighting of a great auk in Britain was on the islet of Stac an Armin, St Kilda, Scotland, in July 1840, when the bird was caught and killed. Just a few years later, on 3 June 1844, the final two confirmed specimens were killed on Eldey, off the coast of Iceland, marking the end of the species’ last known breeding attempt.
Yet extinction was not the end of the great auk’s story. Its remains, including its skins, eggs, and skeletons, became the obsession of collectors, driving a trade riddled with greed and unscrupulous dealings that continues to this day.
In The Great Auk – Its Extraordinary Life, Hideous Death and Mysterious Afterlife, a book rich with insight and compelling narratives of both birds and people, Tim Birkhead, biologist and emeritus Professor of Behaviour and Evolution at the University of Sheffield, uncovers previously unknown aspects of the great auk’s existence before human interference, its tragic demise, and the relentless pursuit of its remains.
To celebrate the book’s publication on 13th March, Bird Spot has partnered with Bloomsbury Publishing to give away three copies!
For a chance to win, simply name another extinct bird (other than the great auk) in the comments below, and we’ll pick a winner at random using the wonderful wheel of names.
The competition closes at 11:59 pm on the 18th March 2025 and you can see the full competition Ts&Cs here.
11 Responses
Arabian ostrich
Dodo
Ivory-biller Woodpecker
Dodo
Passenger pigeon
Labrador Duck
Dodo
Dodo
Slender billed curlew
Dodo
Passenger pigeon