Listings of some of the Unique and Extinct Birds that were in Existence

There are so many extinct birds that existed in the past as follows:

Great Auk

The Great Auk resembled the penguin, but with a stronger beak. It was found in eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Great Britain. A flightless bird, the Auk stood 75 cms. in height. It was hunted for its meat and was last sighted in 1844.

Labrador Duck

The Labrador Duck was never a common bird and has been extinct since 1875. It was found in Canada and the northwestern United States. The cause of its extinction is not definitively known although hunting and disruption of habitat are cited as possible causes.

Passenger Pigeon

At one time Passenger Pigeons were so numerous their flocks darkened the sky for hours when they passed overhead. The last Passenger Pigeon, named Martha, died alone in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. The Passenger Pigeon resembled the Mourning Dove, but was larger, measuring 16 inches in length. It was hunted to extinction for its meat.

Guadalupe Caracara

The Guadalupe Caracara was found on Mexico's Guadalupe Island. The birds were hunted down because they were predators, feeding on kid goats in local herds. The native populace saw the Caracara as vicious and evil.

Heath Hen

The Heath Hen lived in the United States and was killed for its meat. By 1870 only a few of the birds remained on Martha's Vineyard. They were bred in captivity and numbers increased to 2,000 before disaster struck. Almost the entire captive population was wiped out by a fire and attempts to revive the species again failed. The last Heath Hen died in 1932.

Spectacled Cormorant

The Spectacled Cormorant was a flightless sea bird first found by naturalist George Steller in 1741. Sailors hunted the birds for their meat and feathers. By 1850 the black birds became extinct.

Black Mamo

The Black Mamo was found by R.C.L. Perkins on the island of Molokai, Hawaii in 1897. The bird was jet black in color with an unusually long, bent yellow beak. The bird disappeared after 1907.

More to Go

Since 1500 nearly 100 species of birds have vanished from the face of the earth. These extinct birds could be joined by any one of the 1,210 species that may become for future generations nothing but pictures. Extinct bird species like the Passenger Pigeon and the Dodo bird serve as a warning that unless drastic steps are taken more birds will disappear from this planet forever.

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