After the last two great auks were killed and stuffed in 1844, they disappeared. A decades-long chase has finally tracked ...

The last pair - a breeding male and female - were killed by hunters in 1844 while defending their egg, researchers said.

Author and professor Gísli Pálsson details the final years of the North Atlantic flightless birds that were driven to extinction by humans — an event that caused a moment of realization about humanity ...

New research finds that the extinction of this flightless bird was completely our fault. By Cara Giaimo Not so long ago, the northern seas were full of great auks. Every summer, millions of the ...

Analysis of ancient DNA from the North Atlantic penguin driven extinct during the 19th century reveals that even abundant and widespread species can be vulnerable to intense localized exploitation ...

Sailing near the remote Scottish island of St Kilda, Laughlan McKinnon sighted a strange bird napping on a rocky sea stack. It didn’t resemble most other birds he’d seen near these waters. It wasn’t a ...

"The great auk will always hold a place in my heart," Dr Jessica Thomas says. The Swansea-based scientist spent years piecing together an ancient DNA puzzle that suggests hunting by humans caused this ...

Martin Hughes-Games presents the Little Auk. Little auks are black and white relatives of the puffin but only about half the size. Show more Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about ...

The whereabouts of the skin of the last female great auk, which has puzzled experts for 180 years, has been confirmed, according to a study. Sandra Toombs Image first published in Explorers Journal ...