Labrador Duck Camptorhynchus labradorius Scientific name definitions

Formally described by Gmelin (Gmelin 1789 Gmelin, J. F. (1789). Systema naturae. Vol. 1, part 1. Leipzig [not seen]. Georg. Emmanuel Beer. Close ) and first depicted in Pennant (Pennant 1785 Pennant, T. (1785). Arctic Zoology. Volume II. Henry Hughs, London, England. Close ), the Labrador Duck has the dubious distinction of being the first species among endemic North American birds to go extinct. The last individual collected in Canada was shot by Simon Cheney in April 1871 at Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick (Phillips 1926a Phillips, J. C. (1926a). A Natural History of the Ducks, 4 vols. Mineola, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston and New York. Reprinted (1986) as 2 vol., Dover Publications, Inc. Close , Montevecchi and Tuck 1987 Montevecchi, W. A., and L. M. Tuck (1987). Newfoundland Birds: Exploitation, Study, and Conservation. Nuttall Ornithological Club Publication Number 21. Cambridge, MA, USA. Close ). The last authenticated specimen was shot in the United States off Long Island, New York, by J. G. Bell in the autumn of 1875 (Dutcher 1894 Dutcher, W. (1894). The Labrador Duck-another specimen, with additional data respecting extant specimens. Auk 11:4-12. Close , Phillips 1926a Phillips, J. C. (1926a). A Natural History of the Ducks, 4 vols. Mineola, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston and New York. Reprinted (1986) as 2 vol., Dover Publications, Inc. Close ).

Few ornithologists were making detailed field observations when the Labrador Duck was extant. Its breeding areas were remote, and numbers apparently fell so quickly that few noted the decline. Our understanding of its natural history is extremely limited, confined almost entirely to its wintering habits.

The scant literature on this species provides many opportunities for confusion. The term “Labrador Duck” was used, at least in Europe, to describe a variety of domestic duck (M. Sassi in Hahn 1963 Hahn, P. (1963). Where is that vanished bird? An index to the known specimens of the extinct and near extinct North American species. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press. Close ). The vernacular “Pied Duck” used for this species has apparently also been applied to the Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata; T. I. Egan in Dutcher 1891 Dutcher, W. (1891). The Labrador Duck:- a revised list of the extant specimens in North America, with some historical notes. Auk 8:201-216. Close ) and the Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and “pied bird” to the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus; Todd 1963a Todd, W. E. C. (1963). Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and Adjacent Areas: A Distributional List. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, Canada. Close ); some early authors did not specify the species to which they were referring.

The genus name refers to this duck's flexible lateral bill-flaps, the species name to its supposed breeding ground. It is not certain, however, if the species ever bred in the region now known as Labrador, or the portion of Quebéc formerly known by that name.

In this account, every effort has been made to distinguish among reliable observation, hearsay evidence, and conjecture. Even so, the reader should use this information with caution. Our ignorance of the Labrador Duck far exceeds our understanding. Where no information is available, comparisons to the natural history of eiders (Somateria sp.) and scoters (Melanitta sp.) may be the most reliable option.