The Passenger Pigeon

The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorus) was an extinct North American bird. It was once the most common bird in North America, and possibly the world. That is what makes this extinction so significant, the fact that people can wipe out a bird that was once so common.

Martha, thought to be the worlds last Passenger Pigeon, died on September 1, 1914, at Cincinnati Zoo.

Facts:

• Passenger Pigeons flocks were reported to blacken the sky for up to 14 hours.
• Their extinction was due to over hunting (commercial) and habitat loss.

• Passenger Pigeons used to eat beechnuts, acorns, chestnuts, seeds, and berries found in forests. In Spring they also eat worms and insects.

• Passenger Pigeons and their Squabs were eaten as cheap meat for slaves.