The great auk was the large, flightless North Atlantic seabird last confirmed alive in 1844 and often called the “original penguin.” It belonged to the auk family, not the penguin family, and its scientific name was Pinguinus impennis. The resemblance inspired the modern name “penguin” after European explorers applied it to this black-and-white bird.
Great auks bred on isolated rocky islands from Newfoundland and Greenland to Iceland and northern Europe. They were powerful swimmers but had tiny wings unsuitable for flight. Their eggs, feathers, meat, and skins made them valuable to people, while museum collectors later intensified demand for specimens as the bird became rare.
On 3 June 1844, the last two confirmed great auks were killed on Eldey, an island off Iceland, while incubating an egg. Later sightings, including a report from Newfoundland in 1852, remain unconfirmed or disputed. The birds are sometimes confused with puffins or razorbills, which are living auks that can fly; the great auk was the only truly flightless member of its family.