The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk
The extinction of species has long captivated the curiosity of scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. Within the realm of vanished creatures, the great auk stands as a prominent figure. As the only flightless bird in the North Atlantic, the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) held a unique position as the largest member of the Alcidae family, commonly known as auks. This goose-sized seabird has left an indelible mark on our natural history
Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America
At the end of the Pleistocene, North America saw the extinction of about 70% of its megafauna guild - a catastrophic event, the cause of which is fiercely debated today. The magnitude of this loss may however be a conservative figure, a suspicion that arises when perusing the list of ‘surviving’ mammalian megafauna, because many also are present in Eurasia.
Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests
Passenger Pigeons were the most common bird in North America at the time of European settlement but were wiped out within a few centuries. The species shaped the landscapes and ecosystems within its range by virtue of its sheer abundance and unique behavior. Most affected were the hardwood forests of the Northern United States, where billions of pigeons would congregate annually to breed and inflict massive changes on their breeding grounds.