Labrador duck
The Labrador duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius) is an extinct duck that lived in North America.
| Labrador duck | |
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| The Labrador duck | |
| Conservation status | |
 Extinct (IUCN 3.1)BirdLife International (2012). Camptorhynchus labradorius. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. | |
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| Genus: | Camptorhynchus
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| Binomial name | |
| Camptorhynchus labradorius | |
Habitat
The Labrador duck lived along the sandy coasts and bays of New Jersey and New England. Audubon's son reported seeing a nest belonging to the species. Some believe that it may have laid its eggs on the islands in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It was a rare bird before European settlement, and the increase in humans probably finished it off.
Extinction
The duck became extinct after settlers became common along the eastern coast of North America. The reasons are not clear. The duck was eaten, although its flesh tasted bad. its eggs were probably harvested. It depended considerably on shellfish, which humans may have eaten in large quantities.
Labrador Duck Media
Labrador Duck, Camptorynchus labradorius, male, chromolithograph (?).
Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans of a female and male
Illustration by John James Audubon
Turnaround video of a male specimen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Stuffed specimens, American Museum of Natural History
Sources
- Cokinos, Christopher 2000. Hope is the thing with feathers. New York: Putnam, pp. 281–304. ISBN 1-58542-006-9
- Forbush, Edward Howe 1912. A history of the game birds, wild-fowl and shore birds of Massachusetts and adjacent states. Boston: Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, pp. 411–416.
- Fuller, Errol 2001. Extinct birds. Comstock Publishing, pp. 85–87. ISBN 0-8014-3954-X