Passenger Pigeons: Gone Forever

Passenger Pigeons: Gone Forever by Vic Eichler Ph.D. Publisher: Shantimira Press, 2013 ISBN is 9780970362087 / 0970362080 Paperback 6 x 9 inches, 32 pages The most abundant bird in North America, once estimated to number five billion individuals, is now extinct. The Passenger Pigeon, which resembled our modern Mourning Dove, was driven to extinction by senseless slaughter up until the 1860's when their numbers dropped precipitously. In 1831 John James Audubon, the famous painter of birds, described flocks of these birds, estimated at more than 100 miles wide, that blotted out the sun for days. The last individual of this species died alone in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914, and there will be a nationwide effort to commemorate this tragedy during the centennial year 2014. This book discusses the importance of biodiversity on the planet and explores the lessons of the past as we look to the future and face the continued loss of threatened and endangered species of plants and animals around the world. ----------------- The passenger pigeon or wild pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) is an extinct species of pigeon that was endemic to North America. Its common name is derived from the French word passager, meaning "passing by", due to the migratory habits of the species. The scientific name also refers to its migratory characteristics. The morphologically similar mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) was long thought to be its closest relative, and the two were at times confused, but genetic analysis has shown that the genus Patagioenas is more closely related to it than the Zenaida doves. The passenger pigeon was sexually dimorphic in size and coloration. The male was 390 to 410 mm (15.4 to 16.1 in) in length, mainly gray on the upperparts, lighter on the underparts, with iridescent bronze feathers on the neck, and black spots on the wings. The female was 380 to 400 mm (15.0 to 15.7 in), and was duller and browner than the male overall. The juvenile was similar to the female, but without iridescence. It mainly inhabited the deciduous forests of eastern North America and was also recorded elsewhere, but bred primarily around the Great Lakes. The pigeon migrated in enormous flocks, constantly searching for food, shelter, and breeding grounds, and was once the most abundant bird in North America, numbering around 3 billion, and possibly up to 5 billion. A very fast flyer, the passenger pigeon could reach a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The bird fed mainly on mast, and also fruits and invertebrates. It practiced communal roosting and communal breeding, and its extreme gregariousness may be linked with searching for food and predator satiation. Passenger pigeons were hunted by Native Americans, but hunting intensified after the arrival of Europeans, particularly in the 19th century. Pigeon meat was commercialized as cheap food, resulting in hunting on a massive scale for many decades. There were several other factors contributing to the decline and subsequent extinction of the species, including shrinking of the large breeding populations necessary for preservation of the species and widespread deforestation, which destroyed its habitat. A slow decline between about 1800 and 1870 was followed by a rapid decline between 1870 and 1890. The last confirmed wild bird is thought to have been shot in 1901. The last captive birds were divided in three groups around the turn of the 20th century, some of which were photographed alive. Martha, thought to be the last passenger pigeon, died on September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati Zoo. The eradication of the species is a notable example of anthropogenic extinction.