What it is
The great auk was a large flightless alcid — a northern counterpart to a penguin in habit, not in ancestry. IUCN lists it as Extinct. It nested in dense colonies on a few predator-free islands.
Range
Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, from Newfoundland and Greenland to Iceland, the British Isles, and Norway.
What happened
People took great auks for meat, eggs, and down for centuries. As colonies emptied, museums and collectors paid for skins and eggs. The last confirmed pair was killed on 3 June 1844 on Eldey, Iceland. No later record has been accepted.
When / status
Extinct. Last confirmed killing: 3 June 1844, Eldey.
Human role
Hunting for food and then for specimens, including the last known pair.
Sources
IUCN Red List (Pinguinus impennis, EX); Eldey 1844 eyewitness compilations.