great auk
noun
: an extinct large flightless auk (Pinguinus impennis) formerly abundant along North Atlantic coasts
Examples of great auk in a Sentence
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The great auk of the North Atlantic, the moa of New Zealand, the elephant bird of Madagascar, and the Réunion ibis of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean all perished shortly after the humans entered the picture.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Of all the grim capitalist crimes against American animals (and there is competition), among them are the 1840s extinction of our northern hemisphere penguin, the great auk, and an 1886 sale in London of the skins of 400,000 American hummingbirds.
—Dan Flores, Time, 29 May 2025
This is a great auk, which was driven to extinction.
—Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2022
Alcids are a comparatively younger family of birds, but at least one alcid species -- the great auk found in the northern Atlantic -- lost its ability to fly, though great auks went extinct in the mid-19th century due to hunting them for their down feathers.
—Joshua Learn | Inside Science, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2022
The same technique could be used to study the last days of other extinct birds with interesting evolutionary histories, including the great auk, Haast's eagle and that poster child for extinction, the dodo.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2010
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Of all the grim capitalist crimes against American animals (and there is competition), among them are the 1840s extinction of our northern hemisphere penguin, the great auk, and an 1886 sale in London of the skins of 400,000 American hummingbirds.
—Dan Flores, Time, 29 May 2025
This is a great auk, which was driven to extinction.
—Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2022
Alcids are a comparatively younger family of birds, but at least one alcid species -- the great auk found in the northern Atlantic -- lost its ability to fly, though great auks went extinct in the mid-19th century due to hunting them for their down feathers.
—Joshua Learn | Inside Science, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2022
The same technique could be used to study the last days of other extinct birds with interesting evolutionary histories, including the great auk, Haast's eagle and that poster child for extinction, the dodo.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2010
Cite this Entry
“Great auk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/great%20auk. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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