On the north side, approximately 0.17 km (190 yards) west of Escape Point, the easternmost tip of the island, there is a steep cliff.

The smell arises from the nitrate and phosphate concentrations found in the guano deposited by the many millions of birds which have nested there over the centuries.

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 polar bear on Funk Island.

However, the American Heritage Dictionary suggests the word "penguin", which may be derived from the Breton language penn gwenn meaning "white head", originated with the name of the island and subsequently become a synonym for "great auk".

Joseph Banks, who visited Newfoundland and Labrador in 1766, told of a type of pudding the Beothuk people made from eggs which had been collected from Penguin (Funk) Island.

"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 [Funk Island] was soon noted.

"[7] Many explorers and fishing nations made trips to the Funks to acquire seabirds for food and oil for their lamps.

In July 1873 seismologist and naturalist John Milne 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 murre and razorbill 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.

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.

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 feathers easier.

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.