On September 1, 1914, the last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. Martha’s last companion, a male passenger pigeon named George, died four years earlier. The two birds were named after the nation’s first family, George and Martha Washington.
Martha never experienced freedom. She was a passenger pigeon that had been bred, in Chicago, and delivered to Cincinnati, where she lived her whole life in a cage.
The passenger pigeon population in the mid 19 th Century was enormous, with some estimates stating that 40% of all North American birds were passenger pigeons. Their population was estimated to be in the billions. John James Audubon wrote that he observed a flock of passenger pigeons that blotted out the sun and filled the sky for three days. He estimated this flock was well over one billion birds. These huge flocks migrated south for the winter and north for the summer.
The passenger pigeon’s scientific name was Ectopistes migratorius. The genus name comes from the Greek word ketosis, which means to move from one place to another. The species name comes from the Latin word migratory. The common name of passenger is a passerby, a wayfarer, or traveler.
The passenger pigeon resembled the mourning dove but was much larger. In length, they were the longest member in the North American family, measuring 15-17 inches, which included an eight to nine inch-long pointed tail. The larger male was more colorful, with what was described as a slate-blue head, a grayish-blue back and a ruby-orange neck and breast. Although the female was similar, her colors were much duller. Since no one ever expected this bird to become extinct, very few were mounted or skins saved. They were extinct before color photography and very few were painted by artists.
Passenger pigeons were fast and strong flyers. It was not uncommon for the birds to fly 80 miles from their roost to their food source, of mostly beechnuts and small acorns.
The female laid only one egg and usually nested only once a year. Just like most of the birds in the pigeon family, their nests were flimsy; built in trees and not very high off the ground.
Incubation lasted two weeks. When nesting the males would feed in the morning, while the females stayed on the nest, and then the females would feed in early afternoon, while the males stayed on the nest. The young were fed milk, which was regurgitated from both parents. This milk was secreted from the crop and had a high concentrate of fat and protein. The young (squabs) grew rapidly, and within two weeks had grown to the size of the parents. At this point, the squabs flew down to the ground and began to fend for themselves. The adult birds as a group left the nests to roost in a new area and did not return. After about 10-14 days, the young were able to fly and joined the flock of adults that had left the nesting area. They would often fly great distances for their daily food.
The Native Americans simply used long sticks to knock the birds from their roost or from the air while in flight. The young squabs that were still unable to fly were just picked up off the ground. When the Europeans arrived in America they brought along shotguns that with only one shot could bring down many birds. However, the most effective method was to use net traps, 40 feet in length and 20 feet in width and attached to spring poles. Captive pigeons (known as stool pigeons) were placed on a grain in a baited area. Well-trained stool pigeons were valuable because they enticed the flock into landing and feeding. When enough birds landed on the bait the net was released. A good catch could have netted over 100 dozen birds. Catching pigeons was a seasonal occupation and when a new roost was discovered, these pigeon trappers traveled to the area, with their stool pigeons and nets. The trapped birds were sent to markets in major cities.
Michigan was the first state to attempt saving the passenger pigeon. Laws were passed stating that netting was not allowed within two miles of a nesting site and shooting was not allowed within five miles of a roost. However, there were few game wardens which meant these laws were very seldom enforced. In time, market hunting was no longer worth the effort.
There are many theories on why the passenger pigeon became extinct: hunting; cutting down of the beech trees, which reduced their food supply; adults only producing one young per year; the squabs being on their own for two weeks before being able to fly and the birds not being able to adapt to the changes in the new world.