Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The last colony of great auks lived on Geirfuglasker (the "Great Auk Rock") off Iceland. This islet was a volcanic rock surrounded by cliffs that made it inaccessible to humans, but in 1830, the islet submerged after a volcanic eruption, and the birds moved to the nearby island of Eldey , which was accessible from a single side.
The rough surf around the island usually made it inaccessible to humans, and one of the last refuges for the flightless bird the great auk (which was also called "garefowl" — "geirfugl" in Icelandic). In a volcanic eruption in 1830 this rock submerged. The surviving great auks moved to a nearby island called Eldey and were wiped out by humans ...
The most famous bird species in the collection was a now extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). It was bought by Rocke in 1860. It was bought by Rocke in 1860. In his "magnificent" [ 13 ] book The Great Auk (1999) Errol Fuller gives an extensive listing of all remaining stuffed great Auks and of all remaining eggs.
4. The Great Auk is not the only auk to have a white marking on the head. The puffin has much more white on the head. The Great Auk must be one of the most distinctive birds in the world (huge size, flightless), and hardly needed any distinguishing from other auks. 5. What's a "learned folk-etymology"? Sounds like an oxymoron.
' Great Auk Stack '), [2] or Freykja (), [citation needed] is a small, uninhabited island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. [1] [2] Geirfuglasker is located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) off Iceland's southwestern coast. [1] [2] The island hosted one of the last known colony of great auks, which thrived given its inaccessibility to humans.
By 1800 the great auk was probably extinct on Funk Island, and by 1844, in the world. Naturalists and scientists had become interested in the plight of the great auk and by June 1841 a Norwegian naturalist, Dr. Peter Stuvitz visited Funk Island with the hope of obtaining specimens of the birds, but was forced to leave due to weather conditions ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Pinguinus alfrednewtoni is an extinct species of auk related to the great auk known from fossils that were discovered in the Pliocene Yorktown Formation of North Carolina.Like the great auk, it was a large flightless diving bird that used its wings to propel itself forward underwater.