Last recorded great auks killed on Eldey

Background. The great auk was a flightless alcid driven to extinction by human exploitation in the mid-19th century. By the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, its breeding range was restricted to specific islands, including Eldey. The last colony originally lived on Geirfuglasker, but the birds moved to Eldey after a volcanic eruption in 1830, establishing the final remnant population.

The Killing. The last pair was found incubating an egg on Eldey. On 3 June 1844, they were killed on request from a merchant who wanted specimens. Icelandic sailors Jón Brandsson and Sigurður Ísleifsson strangled the adults. During the struggle, Ketill Ketilsson accidentally cracked the last egg of the species with his boot.

Aftermath. The killing ended the last known breeding attempt. The eyes and internal organs of the last two birds are stored in the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. The whereabouts of the skins remained unknown for over 180 years until DNA analysis confirmed matches with specific museum specimens, including one in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.