The Great Auk was a flightless bird that lived in the north parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It looked very much so like a penguin. It was an important part of many North American cultures, as it was a source of food and also a symbol in their mythology.
The Little Ice Age reduced the population of the Great Auk because polar bears were able to travel further south and ate them. Humans also started systematically slaughtering them for food and for their eggs.
In 1840, the last seen Great Auk in the British Isles was caught and killed. Three men caught him and kept it alive for 3 days. Then, a large storm arose and the people thought the auk was a witch and that it had caused the storm. They beat the auk with a stick and killed it, making the Great Auk the only British bird made extinct in modern times.