ID Keys: Males dark overall with white head and neck, black central
crown stripe, white wings. Odd-shaped bill.
The
Labrador Duck was an odd sea-duck of the northeastern coasts of North
America. They were the only species of the genus Camptorhynchus.
They had a very unusual bill, widened and flattened at the tip with many
lamallae inside, and softer than most duck bills. The species was evidently
quite rare even upon European settlement. It is thought that hunting
quickly led to a decimation of the species, but reasons for the bird's
extinction are speculative. The last known Labrador Duck was shot by a
hunter in 1878 on Long Island in New York. Very little is known of the
bird's habits or breeding. The term Labrador Duck refers to the
presumed breeding location along the coast of Labrador in Canada, but there
are no confirmed nesting/breeding records.
Habitat
During the winter months, the species was
found in protected coastal waters from Nova Scotia southward to the
Chesapeake Bay. Little is known about their summer breeding habitat.
Diet
The odd bill shape suggests the Labrador
Duck fed on mollusks.
Behavior
Unknown. The bill shape suggests
the bird fed underwater on muddy bottoms, searching for mollusks.
Nesting
Nothing known of nesting habits.
Was thought to have nested in Labrador, but nests were never found.
Song
Unknown
Migration
Bred in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and
coastal Labrador. Wintered from Nova Scotia southward to the
Chesapeake Bay.
Similar Species
Only species of the genus Camptorhynchus, was unique in appearance and
habits, unlikely to be confused with other species.
