The Labrador Duck
The Labrador duck once migrated along the East Coast of North America from Labrador south to the Chesapeake Bay. Diving through silt and shallows, it used its wide, flat bill to feed on mussels and shellfish, its only food source.
The reasons for the Labrador duck’s extinction remain unclear, as it was not a popular game bird due to its foul-tasting meat. Destruction of shoreline habitat and competition with humans for shellfish may have played a role.
The last known Labrador duck was shot on December 12, 1878, in Elmira, NY, having been blown inland by a huge storm.
