The passenger pigeon is an extinct bird of the pigeon family. Until the 19th century, it was one of the most common birds on Earth, the total number of which was estimated at 3-5 billion individuals. Body length is 35-40 cm, wing length is about 20 cm, body weight is 250–340 g, the head and lower back are gray, the back is brownish, the chest is reddish. The eyes are red. The passenger pigeon was distributed in the deciduous forests of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, from southern and central Canada to North Carolina, and wintered in the southern United States.
The history of the extermination of passenger pigeons
Hardly any other feathered animal has been found on earth in such monstrously large numbers as the passenger pigeon of North America. Stories about him read like a science fiction novel.
Passenger pigeons lived throughout the United States and Southern Canada. They appeared in the sky in such dense flocks that they literally blocked out the sun. It became gloomy, as if during an eclipse. Flying birds covered the entire sky from horizon to horizon. Pigeon droppings fell from the sky like flakes of snow, the endless hum of the wings resembled the whistle of a storm wind.
Hours passed, and the pigeons kept flying and flying, and neither the end nor the beginning of their marching columns was visible. Neither shouts, nor shots, nor cannon fire could deviate the countless locust-like “squadron” from its course.
This pigeon led a nomadic life. Passenger pigeons fed on acorns, chestnuts, beech trees and other nuts that the pristine forests of North America produced in abundance. Having cleared a deciduous forest of fruits and seeds in one area, millions of pigeons took to the air and sometimes flew thousands of kilometers to a new one. appropriate place. In the new forest, they continued to feed for several weeks and even months, nested near feeding areas, and then, having exhausted food resources, withdrew in search of new productive areas.
The pigeon nesting sites were no less impressive. The trees, densely dotted with nests, up to a hundred on one tree, even leaves and small twigs were not visible, looked as if they had been cleared with an ax. Sometimes more than a hundred nests hung on each tree, and often the branches broke off under the weight of rapidly growing chicks. There was deafening noise and screams all around, the soil was covered with a thick layer of droppings.
Of course, a person could not pass by such an abundance of game. Having learned about the nesting of pigeons, local residents came into the forest at night, cut down trees with nests and killed thousands of adult birds and chicks. Pigs were driven to nesting sites and devoured the fallen chicks. Wagons and carts loaded with heaps of dead game were sent to village and city markets, where pigeon carcasses were sold for one cent a pair.
Was it possible to quickly exterminate such a fabulous number of birds? The sad fate of the passenger pigeon shows that it is possible if you skillfully get down to business.
Passenger pigeons were destroyed by all means that were suitable for this. They shot from shotguns, rifles, pistols, muskets of all systems and calibers. Even pots of sulfur were used, which were lit under the trees at the roosting sites of the pigeons. Birds were caught with nets, beaten with sticks and stones. The flocks of pigeons were so dense that sometimes they flew so low that the colonists knocked them down with poles. Fishermen, when pigeons flew over them, beat them with oars.
In the USA there were many thousands of professional pigeon “hunters” who earned fabulous money at that time - up to 10 pounds sterling a day. Their “cause” was broadly stated. A whole network of agents sent reports by telegraph about the appearance here or there of new flocks of pigeons, about their roosting places and the direction of their flight. The harvesters were already rushing there. The development of railways ensured fast delivery hundreds of tons of killed pigeons to the country's markets.
In the entire United States and Canada in the seventies of the last century, hundreds of millions of pigeons were killed!
Is there really not a single person in the big country who would raise a voice in defense of the beaten birds? Didn't the US have laws protecting natural resources? Of course, there were such laws. Back in 1848, Massachusetts passed a regulation prohibiting the catching of pigeons with nets. Three years later, all non-game birds, including passenger pigeons, were taken under protection in the state of Vermont. Laws prohibiting their mining were soon passed in other states. But who took them into account when it came to big business!
In 1880, there were still significant flocks of passenger pigeons in the country, but after 20 years there was no trace of them left. The disappearance of a fantastically numerous species was so sudden that in America, it seems, they still cannot recover from the surprise. Several “theories” have been invented to explain the stunningly rapid, “dynamite-like explosion” disappearance of pigeons. Some suggest that all the pigeons drowned in the Atlantic Ocean when they “emigrated” to Australia. Others think that they flew to the North Pole and froze there. Is it necessary to explain after all that has been said that it is not the North Pole or the Atlantic Ocean that is to blame for the extermination of passenger pigeons, but a more terrible element, whose name is “business”. It is unlikely that man exterminated every single bird. Most colonial breeding birds are capable of breeding only in large aggregations. Probably, the passenger pigeon had reached the minimum number at which its successful nesting was impossible.
In 1914, the last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Be that as it may, responsibility for the loss of the most widespread species of birds lies entirely with humans.
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The passenger pigeon is a unique bird that lived in past centuries.
They lived in huge flocks of more than 2 million individuals. The total number of birds was about 14 billion.
The last pair was exterminated in 1899. At the scene of the murder, some time later, the authorities of the state of Ohio erected a bronze monument reminding people that wandering birds once lived in the world.
Appearance
The male was much larger than the female, the body length of an adult reached up to 45 cm, and the body weight varied from 265 to 359 grams. The wingspan was 45 centimeters.
The female was slightly different in color from the male; her plumage was dominated by an ash-rusty color. The sides of the bird's body were painted purple-violet, the throat and neck were red with a gray tint, the tail and belly were white.
The length of the beak was about 15–19 mm, the metatarsus was 23–39 mm. The tail was a distinctive feature of this type of pigeon; it was quite long and had an unusual coloring.
The limbs of both sexes were short, red, they had four fingers, one of which looked back, and the fingers were armed with sharp hook-shaped claws.
Place and habitat
Birds of this species lived exclusively on the North American continent, to be more precise, this central and eastern part of modern Canada, including part of Florida
Lifestyle
They preferred to settle in deciduous forests, open, easily visible areas.
The very name of this bird species tells us that pigeons wander from one territory to another. This fact is explained very simply; The fact is that they lived in large groups of several million individuals, and being in one place was simply not possible.
When the food ran out, they gathered into one large flock and migrated to those places where there was a great abundance of food. During the flight, eyewitnesses said that the flock could literally cover the sky with their bodies for several hours.
There is an opinion among scientists that it was the large concentration of these birds during the breeding season that inoculated them into rapid and massive extermination. If we recall the data that was taken from official sources, the meat of this bird was exported to Europe in huge quantities.
The birds spent the night strictly in trees and bushes; they pressed together while sitting on branches so closely to each other that they could break a branch with a diameter of more than 60 mm. They ate by collecting food from the ground.
Nutrition
The diet of these birds was quite varied; depending on the time of year or weather, they could pamper themselves with different delicacies. Let's take a closer look at their menu:
- Different ;
- Earthworms;
- Acorns;
- Nuts;
- Seeds;
- Fruits;
In fact, this list is incomplete; in a real situation, the bird could eat any food it could get.
Reproduction
The mating season often fell, according to some sources, at the end of April and lasted until mid-May, according to others, from March to May.
During mating dances, males puffed out their chests, then lowered their open tails and circled around their other half. They created a couple once and for life.
They nested only in trees or small bushes; this type of pigeon is not fertile. There was only one egg in the clutch, which they hatched together for 14 days. Half a month later, the female and male fed their child alternately.
Vote
They could make two types of sounds; the first resembled a quiet quacking, and the second resembled an ordinary pigeon cooing. In our music library there is great amount sounds of wild birds, if you want to listen, go to. Why did the passenger pigeon disappear?
There is no doubt that humans are to blame for the disappearance of this species of pigeons.. But the question arises, how in such a short time over almost 40 years they were able to exterminate more than fourteen billion heads.
We have already said that these birds nested and reproduced in large colonies, and it was not difficult for hunters to take the birds by surprise. At one time they could kill several tens of hundreds of birds.
The American Indians were true gourmets of young pigeon meat, but even they did not allow themselves to fish during breeding Unlike their American colleagues.
A record number of birds killed by poachers was recorded in 1851, according to railway transport a cargo weighing 74 tons was sent to New York City.
Closer to 1890, this type of pigeon became very rare, and in 1899 it completely ceased to exist in wildlife.
Lifespan
There is not a single mention in the documents of the lifespan of this amazing creature, but we assume that it could live in nature for more than 12 years.
Related species
In the order “pigeonidae” there are more than three hundred species of birds distributed throughout the world. Some of them are direct related species of our hero, for example; the crying dove, fortunately still living in our time.
- During nesting, passenger pigeons could occupy several square kilometers.
- The last pigeon of this species, nicknamed MARTHA, died in 1914.
- The Indians preferred to hunt only the chicks of this species, since their meat was, in their opinion, much tastier than the meat of an adult.
- They lived only in Canada and Florida.
- During the flight, the sky could be darkened from several minutes to several hours.
Nature seems to be an endless self-renewing system. However, the story of the passenger pigeon proved to the whole world the precariousness and fragility of natural systems. This is a sad but very instructive story.
In the 18th century, the passenger pigeon (Ecopises migraorius) was the most common bird. The flocks of pigeons looked like swarms of locusts. When they made the flight, white day turned into night. According to ornithologist Alexander Wilson, he once managed to observe a flock that moved in a large continuous stream for 4 hours, the length of the flock was 380 kilometers. According to bird scientist estimates, there were about 1.3 billion birds in the flock. The noise of the wings was so strong that it blocked my ears.
In the 18th century, the local government decided to reduce the number of passenger pigeons and a mass shooting of the birds was ordered. The pigeon meat was edible, and the local population began to mercilessly kill the birds. Hundreds of thousands of pigeons were shot every day. The pigeons nested in villages in the forests and were easy targets. The most widespread destruction occurred between 1860 and 1870.
The population began to decline sharply. Fanatical extermination led to the fact that the birds began to be seen less and less often, and then disappeared completely. The last wild pigeon was killed in 1899... The last representative of the once most numerous species, a pigeon named Martha, lived in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden. Martha died in 1914.
The American people were plunged into shock. It turned out that humanity can be so bloodthirsty and reckless that in just a few decades it can destroy the most numerous species after itself. There was an awareness that the “crown of nature” could easily be the death of natural systems.
The American government has announced a million-dollar reward in the media for anyone who can find a nesting pair of passenger pigeons. The attempt was unsuccessful. The birds were never found; they disappeared. Various absurd hypotheses about the extinction of the species have been put forward. Some newspapers wrote that the flock, while flying across the ocean, was caught in a storm and all the birds drowned. Others wrote that the birds became crowded in the United States and they split their range: the pigeons flew north, but did not survive the harsh winter.
The only truth about the death of the species is immortalized in the epitaph to the monument to the passenger pigeon. In Wisconsin, ornithologists have discovered memorial plaque, which says: “In memory of the last Wisconsin Passenger Pigeon killed at Babcon in September 1899. This species became extinct due to the greed and frivolity of man.” This statement requires no comment...
The incredibly sensual passenger pigeon has become a real symbol of love and tenderness for many people. Surprisingly, this bird, like a human, looked for a mate only once in its life. The birds looked after the chicks together and even took turns hatching eggs. The history of their life and why so many flocks disappeared will be discussed in this article. The story of an extinct breed once again presents society with a sad and instructive story.
Appearance of amazing birds
The most interesting species of these pigeons was famous not only for its touching habits, but also attracted the attention of passersby with the bright color of its feathers. The heads and lower backs of the birds were dark blue, and the long necks of the individuals “burned” brightly red. The small sides delighted the viewer with a purple tint, and the neat bellies were snow-white.
The overall riot of colors was complemented by bright red eyes and an elegant long blue tail. The missing pigeon was a medium-sized bird:
- body length of males varied from 38 to 41 cm;
- body of females 37-40 cm;
- weight from 260 to 350 g;
- beak 15-17 mm (using it, birds could peck seeds and nuts from the ground).
Individuals of both sexes had the same color, so a person could easily get lost in the riot of colors, trying to look at an individual bird. The birds surprised viewers not only with the color of their feathers, but also with their touching habits, because passenger pigeons, like a large and friendly family, always stayed together.
Habitats of huge flocks
Amazing pigeons have become natural proof of true friendship and unity, because, despite great danger, they always flocked together in huge flocks.
Eyewitnesses recall that the number of migrating birds was so great that during the time that the birds were in the air, people were unable to see a gap in the sky.
The view, which had sunk into oblivion, allowed a person to plunge into the plot of a fairy tale, because the space above one’s head was painted in a real living rainbow for several minutes. Experts say that, by the will of fate, it was the habit of sticking together that helped passenger pigeons disappear from the face of the earth forever.
The birds' habitat was deciduous forests in the east of the North American continent, mainly huge flocks gathered near oak trees. The size of one “family” was estimated at millions of individuals, and at the same time, the passenger pigeon disappeared forever in a very short time.
The birth of new individuals
The once widespread passenger pigeon was characterized by very little fertility. One pair of birds raised only one chick per year. Moreover, for both parents, hatching an egg was a responsible task that lasted approximately 14-16 days. Afterwards, for two weeks, the adults carefully took care of the baby and diligently fed him.
The beautiful appearance of the bird was distinguished by one more feature - its mating dance. The “in love” male brightly stuck out his chest and lowered his tail spread out like a fan, demonstrating his interest to the female.
https://youtu.be/cDSEhJ3bWGc
The nesting period until the extinction of passenger pigeons lasted from March to May. A male and a female took part in the construction of the “dwelling”. Smart birds were a species of very loyal allies, because they created pairs once and for life.
Reasons for the extinction of the species
The loyal and friendly species of pigeons once numbered several billion individuals, but short term the birds, like the wind, disappeared from the face of the earth. We can say without any doubt that humans are to blame for the disappearance of wandering birds. Individuals gathered in huge dense flocks, so hunters rushing for profit killed dozens of birds with one shot.
Passenger pigeons did not see humans as a great dangerawns, and this ultimately destroyed them. The American Indians knew well that the meat of birds is very tasty, but despite their lack of education, they never hunted them during nesting. This rule was ignored by “gourmets” in the 19th century, and then the mass shooting of birds began.
The wandering species of pigeons is beginning to be exterminated; there are fewer and fewer individuals. It is assumed that then no one paid attention to the endangered birds, so the era of their existence quickly came to an end.
According to some sources, the last pigeon in the wild died in 1899 in Ohio, other sources indicate that this happened in 1900. But at that time, the only representative of the passenger pigeon still remained in captivity. Martha was the name of an individual from the Cincinnati Zoo who died in 1914.
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Squad - Pigeonidae
Family - Pigeon
Genus/Species - Ectopisres migratorius. Passenger pigeon
Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: 30-42 cm.
Wingspan: 34-44 cm.
REPRODUCTION
Nesting period: March.
Number of eggs: 1.
Incubation: 14 days.
Feeding chicks: 14 days.
LIFESTYLE
Habits: passenger pigeons (see photo) are migratory social birds; constantly kept in huge flocks.
Food: fruits, seeds, earthworms and insects.
Sounds: loud and different screams or quiet cooing.
Lifespan: no data.
RELATED SPECIES
The order Pigeonidae includes more than 300 species of birds found throughout the world. The passenger pigeon's closest relative is the mourning pigeon.
The difference between passenger pigeons and other pigeons was that passenger pigeons nested in huge colonies over an area of several square kilometers. This habit caused the extinction of the species.
FOOD
The passenger pigeon owes its species name to the fact that it traveled quite long distances in search of food. Since these birds kept in huge flocks, they could not live in one place for a long time, since they simply would not have enough food. That is why the birds constantly roamed within their range.
The diet of passenger pigeons consisted mainly of acorns and beech nuts, so the birds most often nested in oak and beech groves.
REPRODUCTION
Passenger pigeons were not very fertile. Each pair raised only one chick per year. Scientists have not discovered any special mating rituals or specific methods of feeding chicks that would be unique to passenger pigeons.
The only peculiarity of this type of bird was that pigeons nested in huge colonies. The nesting season lasted from March to May. During the mating dance, the male proudly stuck out his chest and, lowering his tail spread out like a fan, circled around his chosen one.
Birds mate for life. Both birds were busy building the nest. A male and a female incubated a single egg in turn. Incubation lasted about two weeks. Over the next two weeks, the parents nursed their baby together.
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
The passenger pigeon inhabited the eastern United States and Canada. These birds flew in search of food in huge flocks consisting of several million birds. Eyewitnesses, for example, naturalist Alexander Wilson, said that some flocks reached one and a half kilometers in width and 380 kilometers in length.
Taking into account the flight speed and the time when the first and last pigeon of the flock flew over the same point, the scientist came to the conclusion that there were more than two million pigeons in the flock. American ornithologist John Audubon observed a flock that was so numerous that it covered the entire sky, and in the evening new birds flew to the same place. It is estimated that the flock, estimated to number at least a billion individuals, flew over the area for about three days, as it was three days later that the last pigeon flew over the area. Passenger pigeons nested in trees and bushes in deciduous forests across the eastern part of the continent, from Canada to Florida.
REASON FOR DISAPPEARANCE
There is no doubt that the main culprit in the disappearance of the passenger pigeon is man. However, despite this, it is difficult to understand how such a numerous species could disappear in such a short time. The main reason why this happened is the flocking nature of these birds. Passenger pigeons flew and nested in huge colonies, so hunters could kill large numbers of birds at one time.
From time immemorial, American Indians knew that the meat of passenger pigeons was tasty. However, they never hunted birds during the nesting season. In the 19th century, gourmets greatly appreciated the meat of young pigeons, especially chicks. When this “fashion” became widespread, special detachments of hunters appeared who hunted the chicks of this pigeon.
The scale of destruction of these birds is evidenced by at least the following figure: in the spring of 1851, New York railway 74 tons of pigeon meat were delivered, killed only in two districts of the state. By 1890, pigeons had become very rare. In 1899, there was no longer a single passenger pigeon in the wild.
INTERESTING INFORMATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT...
- The wandering, or migratory, pigeon is called the same in all languages.
- When settling down for the night, passenger pigeons sat so closely on tree branches that branches up to 60 cm thick broke under their weight.
- According to some sources, the last passenger pigeon was killed in 1899 in Ohio, and a bronze memorial plaque was placed at the site of its death. Other sources claim that this happened in 1900. The last pigeon, named Martha, died on September 1, 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo.
THE STRANGE DOVE AND THE MEMING DOVE
Plumage (passenger pigeon): the head and lower back are dark blue, the throat and neck are reddish-gray, the sides are purple-violet, the belly and tail are white. Individuals of both sexes were colored identically; the female's plumage was dominated by
ash-brown color.
Tail: long, narrow, grayish-blue in color.
Beak: narrow, black. Adapted to pecking seeds and nuts from the ground.
Paws: red with black claws.
Eyes: bright red.
Weeping Dove: found in North America and on the Caribbean islands. This is the closest relative of the passenger pigeon and at the same time the most numerous species of pigeon in this region. The body length of this bird is only 31-33 cm, that is, it is smaller than the passenger pigeon. The weeping dove's beak is as thin and adapted for pecking seeds as its extinct relative. Male mourning doves have very long middle tail feathers.
- Habitat of the passenger pigeon
WHERE AND WHEN HE LIVED
Passenger pigeons inhabited deciduous forests in the east of the North American continent, south from Central and Eastern Canada to Florida. The meat of these birds was exported to Europe. A sharp decline in numbers occurred around 1850. In 1896, there was only one breeding population left, and it numbered about 250,000 individuals. By the beginning of the twentieth century, pigeons living in the wild were destroyed.
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