29:
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510:, arrived at Funk Island on July 22, 1887. They found in their search area, roughly one quarter of the land surface of the island was covered with between 0.6 and 1.2 metres (2' to 4') of earth. The earth contained egg shells mixed with granite pebbles in depths ranging from 5 to 30 cm (2" to 12"). Many more skeletons were unearthed and taken away for other scientific study.
455:, the United States Consul to Newfoundland, received permission from the Government of Newfoundland to go to the Funk Island to mine remains of the great auk. Thirty-five tons of the decomposed organic material was secured by Molloy's expedition. Of these five tons was sold locally at nineteen dollars a ton while the other thirty tons was shipped to
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in size any that had before been known. His collection of great auk skeletons subsequently found its way into various public museums. In a scientific paper he wrote in 1875 describing his trip he included a detailed collection of facts relating to the extinct bird that covered five geographical regions, including prehistoric kitchen middens of
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In 1972 the largest population on the Funk Island was that of the thin-billed or common murre, the population count was 396,461 pairs. That number accounts for 80% of the breeding population in eastern North
America and makes Funk Island one of the most important of the seabird colonies in the world.
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and is traversed by two distinct fault lines which cross the island in a northwesterly direction, almost parallel to each other. The fault lines divide the island into three separate entities. The northeastern portion consists mainly of bare rock; the central portion has scattered vegetation; and the
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In the early 16th century, Europeans were drawn to the codfish schools off the coast of
Newfoundland. "Towards the end of a long transatlantic journey, when provisions were running low, fresh meat was prized, and the ease with which auks could be picked off the slab was soon noted." Many explorers
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population had been almost destroyed by egg gatherers. In a hazardous landing and in only the one hour that was allowed by the dangerous tides and high waves surrounding the island, Milne discovered in a small, grassy hollow, the skeletal remains of no fewer than fifty birds. Some of them exceeded
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This expedition did other scientific work on Funk Island, including the collection of rock specimens. During their search of the island they also discovered several iron kettles, rusted and broken, which were believed to have been used to scald the bodies of the great auks to make removal of the
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Landing on Funk Island is extremely difficult and dangerous, though in calm weather there are three points where a safe landing can be effected. Gannet Head, the southwestern corner of the island, and
Landing Rock, just north of Gannet Head, are two such places. On the north side, approximately
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There have been many other expeditions since, right up to 1982. In 1964 the island became a
Provincial Wildlife Sanctuary and landing there was prohibited without a permit. With the creation of the sanctuary, the bird population began to be protected and is now monitored by researchers at
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There are two large rock bunkers which lie off the southwest side of the island. The two bunkers are washed over by the sea, and provide roosting but not nesting areas for many of the seabirds, particularly the gannets. The island and the bunkers make up what is known as the "Funks."
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0.17 km (190 yards) west of Escape Point, the easternmost tip of the island, there is a steep cliff. Set in the cliff is a natural shelf, called The Bench, approximately 1.2 metres (4') wide, which slopes up the cliff face which allow relatively easy access to the surface.
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Digitized Map of Island, Originally published in 1822, with additions to 1851. Compass rose with variation. Latitude-longitude note. Relief shown by hachures. Depths shown by soundings. Bar scale in yards. Includes navigation notes and a coastal view. Shows underwater
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vessels were reported fishing nearby. Later settlers along the northeast coast of
Newfoundland often made the short trip to the Funks to kill birds for food and lamp oil; they also used the feathers for pillows and mattresses and gathered the eggs for food.
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meaning "white head", originated with the name of the island and subsequently become a synonym for "great auk". Bretons were settled in the near area of 'Terra de
Bretones', mentioned on Verrazzano's map with their Ermins coat-of-arms.
358:'s 1775 map as it does in the charts and surveys compiled in 1765. According to the book Pioneers in Canada (Blackie and Sons 1912) Jacques Cartier in 1534 commented on the great number of birds and the presence of a
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went to the island and was successful in retrieving partial skeletons and miscellaneous bones before inclement weather cut short his stay. He reported that there was an abundance of terns on Funk Island but that the
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feathers easier. Near the western edge of the auks' breeding grounds they discovered enclosures made of granite blocks. The Auks had been herded into these compounds to make slaughtering easier.
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The island is roughly trapezoidal in shape, with a maximum length of 0.8 km (½ mile) and a maximum width of 0.3 km (300 yards) and is nearly flat, rising 14 metres (45') out of the
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and fishing nations made trips to the Funks to acquire seabirds for food and oil for their lamps. The great auks were flightless birds that were an easy prey. In 1578, 350
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The name Funk, which means evil odour or vapour, is thought to have been given to the island because of the foul odour which predominates there. The smell arises from the
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into the boats. He remarked that it was "as if God had made the innocency of so poore a creature to become such an admirable instrument for the sustenation of man."
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deposited by the many millions of birds which have nested there over the centuries. However, an alternative theory suggests that the name may be traced to a
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used to nest on this island by thousands, and possibly tens of thousands, up to the late 18th century when its numbers declined drastically. However, the
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There are no navigational aids or lighthouses on the island despite the number of shipwrecks and the loss of life which have occurred in the area.
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Island or Island of the Birds, although the former name was also sometimes used to describe other islands off
Newfoundland's coast (such as
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population of the island. At high tide the seas break widely against the cliffs and in particularly high seas waves break over the island.
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visited Funk Island with the hope of obtaining specimens of the birds, but was forced to leave due to weather conditions on the island.
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Naturalists and scientists had become interested in the plight of the great auk and by June 1841 a
Norwegian naturalist, Dr.
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largest portion of the island, the southwestern, which occupies over half of the land surface, is covered with grasses,
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The most successful of the early scientific expeditions to Funk Island occurred in 1887. It was sponsored by the
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It is believed that Funk Island was visited shortly after the first native peoples settled in northeastern
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is a small, barren, isolated, uninhabited island approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of
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people made from eggs which had been collected from
Penguin (Funk) Island. In earlier times, the
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Relics of the Great Auk on Funk Island, by John Milne. The Field, March 27, April 3,10,1875.
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visited
Newfoundland in 1501, and shortly after that date Funk Island appears on two maps by
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provides good breeding ground for cold water fish which in turn support the large breeding
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Pope, Peter E. (2009). "Early Migratory Fishermen and Newfoundland's Seabird Colonies".
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By 1800 the great auk was probably extinct on Funk Island, and by 1844, in the world.
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In 1982 the seabird population on Funk Island was estimated at over 1,000,000 birds.
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The Principal Navigations Voyages Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation
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The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation
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347:(Penguin Island abounding with birds). One of the earliest British maps by
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824:. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 464.
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Eleven marine bird species have been known to breed on Funk Island.
467:, where it was used to fertilize the gardens of wealthy Americans.
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Map of Funk Island showing concentration of Great Auk remains, 1887
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Before the 18th century, the island was referred to by sailors as
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The second visit of a scientific nature occurred in 1863, when
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was also known as the garefowl, from the Norse, "geirfugl".
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which made landfall on the Island of Penguin. A 1626 map by
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suggests the word "penguin", which may be derived from the
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Funk Island was probably called Penguin Island because the
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506:. After a brief sojourn in St. John's, the group's ship,
754:. Craven & Pendle Geological Society. p. 68.
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John Milne : the Man who Mapped the Shaking Earth
632:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 204.
775:Kolbert, Elizabeth (2014). "The Original Penguin".
319:(1520), both of which refer to an island of birds.
895:Uninhabited islands of Newfoundland and Labrador
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688:. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.).
731:American Heritage Dictionary at wordnik.com
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16:Uninhabited island off Newfoundland, Canada
777:The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
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604:Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
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429:told of how the birds were driven up the
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524:Environment and Climate Change Canada
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682:. In Brown, George Williams (ed.).
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626:Hamilton, William Baillie (1996).
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685:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
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502:and was under the direction of
880:Funk Island Ecological Reserve
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779:. Henry Holt. pp. 47–69.
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629:Place names of Atlantic Canada
327:chronicled the 1536 voyage of
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665:Journal of the North Atlantic
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500:United States Fish Commission
667:. Special Edition, 1: 57–74.
371:American Heritage Dictionary
281:which the island resembles.
265:concentrations found in the
206:. The island is composed of
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64:Funk Island off Newfoundland
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690:University of Toronto Press
345:I Penguin Abonda di Vecelli
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136:0.3 km (0.19 mi)
678:Vigneras, L.-A. (1979) .
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718:James MacLehose and Sons
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821:Encyclopædia Britannica
558:Great black-backed gull
385:Demise of the great auk
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840:www.releases.gov.nl.ca
568:Black-legged kittiwake
437:Scientific expeditions
144:14 m (46 ft)
141:Highest elevation
750:Kabrna, Paul (2007).
109:49.75667°N 53.18389°W
680:"Corte-Real, Miguel"
740:Accessed 2010-01-25
520:Memorial University
114:49.75667; -53.18389
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736:2014-10-16 at the
578:Thick-billed murre
504:Frederick A. Lucas
427:Richard Whitbourne
417:vessels and fifty
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815:"Gare-fowl"
786:978-0-8050-9299-8
761:978-0-9555289-0-3
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285:Historical names
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563:Herring gull
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425:In 1622 Sir
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395:Joseph Banks
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165:Demographics
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82:Labrador Sea
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645:31 December
543:Arctic tern
431:gang planks
352:Herman Moll
339:, while an
315:(1504) and
313:Y Dos Saues
295:Fogo Island
277:word for a
253:Funk Island
208:feldspathic
180:Funk Island
173:Uninhabited
112: /
88:Coordinates
845:2018-04-02
598:References
479:John Milne
476:naturalist
378:penn gwenn
360:polar bear
356:James Cook
170:Population
100:53°11′02″W
97:49°45′24″N
573:Razorbill
538:Great auk
493:Caithness
488:razorbill
461:Baltimore
403:great auk
367:great auk
275:Icelandic
263:phosphate
229:The cold
198:Geography
73:Geography
889:Category
734:Archived
706:(1904).
78:Location
714:Glasgow
508:Grampus
419:English
411:Spanish
399:Beothuk
341:Italian
297:or the
291:Penguin
279:haycock
259:nitrate
235:seabird
216:lichens
211:granite
865:rocks.
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758:
636:
457:Boston
415:French
220:mosses
192:Canada
157:Canada
125:Length
610:Notes
484:murre
323:, in
271:Norse
267:guano
133:Width
781:ISBN
756:ISBN
647:2021
634:ISBN
522:and
486:and
474:and
463:and
413:and
261:and
248:Name
218:and
58:Funk
22:Funk
311:as
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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