Statue of Absent (Dead) Duck - Elmira, NY
Posted by: neoc1
N 42° 05.189 W 076° 47.771
18T E 351443 N 4660939
A bronze sculpture and a plaque stand at the sight of the last sighting of the Labrador Duck. it is located along Catherine Street in Brand Park, Elmira, NY.
Waymark Code: WMPNDB
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/26/2015
Views: 8
A larger than life size bronze sculpture of a Labrador Duck, a species which is now extinct, sits on a round concrete base in Brand Park. The sculpture was created by Todd McGrain and dedicated in 2008. The duck is depicted in resting position with its beak tucked under its right wing. The bronze plaque at the base of the sculpture is inscribed:
Labrador Duck - extinct
Last seen on this site
December 12, 1878
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website q.v.
"This striking sea duck was the first bird species found only in continental North America to disappear during the wave of extinctions that began soon after European settlement. In breeding plumage, the adult male was patterned black-and- white, whereas both the immature male and the adult female were brownish gray with a prominent white wing patch."
Cornell Lab of Ornithology