Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Labrador Duck
The Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius) was a striking black and white eider-like sea duck that was never known to be common, and is believed to be the first bird to go extinct in North America after 1500. The last Labrador Duck was seen at Elmira, New York on December 12, 1878.
Although hunted for food, this duck prossibly died out because of decline in or pollution of mussels and other shellfish that it is believed to have fed on. It was thought to breed in Labrador, although no nests were ever described, and it wintered from Nova Scotia to as far south as Chesapeake Bay. It was also known as a Pied Duck, a vernacular name that it shared with the Surf Scoter and the Common Goldeneye (and even the American Oystercatcher), a fact that has led to difficulties in interpreting old records of these species.
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