great auk

n. A large flightless seabird (Pinguinus impennis) formerly common on northern Atlantic coasts but extinct since the mid-1800s.

great auk

n (Animals) a large flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, extinct since the middle of the 19th century

great′ auk′

n. a large flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off N Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844.

Thesaurus

Noun

great auk - large flightless auk of rocky islands off northern Atlantic coasts; extinctPinguinus impennisauk - black-and-white short-necked web-footed diving bird of northern seasgenus Pinguinus, Pinguinus - great auk

Translations

great auk

great auk:

see aukauk
, common name for a member of the family Alcidae (alcid family), swimming and diving birds of the N Atlantic and Pacific, which includes the guillemots and puffins. Their legs are set far back on their bodies, making them clumsy on land, where they seldom venture except to
..... Click the link for more information. .

Great Auk

(Pinguinus impennis), extinct flightless bird of the Alcidae family, close to the modern auk. Its body was up to 70 cm long; its wings were small and well-suited to paddling under water. It fed on fish.

The auk inhabited the Atlantic coast of Europe, North America, and Iceland. In the winter it apparently reached Florida and the Mediterranean Sea. It was hunted for its palatable meat, and in the 19th century it was completely destroyed. The last pair of great auks was killed in 1844 on the island of Elde, near Iceland.

great auk

hunters killed such large numbers, these birds became extinct in 1840s. [Ecology: Hammond, 290]See: Extinction

great auk

a large flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, extinct since the middle of the 19th century

great auk

great auk

great auk

great′ auk′

great auk

great auk:

Great Auk

great auk

great auk

great auk

Synonyms for great auk

noun large flightless auk of rocky islands off northern Atlantic coasts

Synonyms

Related Words