Belongs to order Columbiformes

Scientific name, EctopistesMigratorius

Migrates from season to season to select favorable nesting and feeding environment

Believed to acquired 25% to 45% of the United States bird population

When Europeans discovered America, there were 3 billion to 5 billion passenger pigeon

(Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution)

‘There are wild pigeons in winter beyond number or imagination,…’, written by the first settlers in Virginia (Clive Ponting)

One flock consisted of two billion birds (Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, &Darryl Wheye, 1988)

John James Auduonestimated that300 millions Pigeons flew each hour (Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, &Darryl Wheye, 1988)

(Passenger Pigeon)

Migrating Area Central Ontario

Quebec

Nova Scotia

Texas

Louisiana

Alabama

Georgia

Florida

Dakota

(Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution)

Great Lakes

East New York

Nesting Area

They have small head and neck

Their tail is long and wedged-shaped

The wings are long and pointed

A male Passenger Pigeon length is about 16 ½ inches and female is an inch shorter

(Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution)

Their primary food are seeds, acorns, fruits, and berries (Passenger Pigeon)

Passenger Pigeon also eats planted grain crops (Passenger Pigeon)

Insects and worms (Passenger Pigeon)

Mourning Dove, the closest relative of the passenger pigeon

Mourning dove and passenger pigeon have similar shape and color

Because of the same appearance, false reports and mistaken identity occur often

(Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution)

Market hunting caused the extinction of passenger pigeon (Jackson, J. A., & Jackson, B. S, 2007)

Passenger pigeon were used as a target practice and food for hogs (Jackson, J. A., & Jackson, B. S, 2007)

Female laid only one egg per year so it was hard to replace any loss (Clive Ponting)

Martha is the last of the passenger pigeon species

Died in Cincinnati Zoological Garden at September 1st 1914

Her remain is now part of the Smithsonian Institution

(Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution)

Scientists are meeting in Washington D.C. to talk about the plan to bring back the extinct passenger pigeon (Kelly Servick, 2013)

The National Geographic Society and Revive and Restore organization support the scientists’ plan to put the passenger pigeon back in the sky (Kelly Servick, 2013)

Clive Ponting. The Story of the Passenger Pigeon. http://www.eco-action.org/dt/pigeon.html

Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, & Smithsonian Institution. ( March 3rd). The Passenger Pigeon. http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_

Si/nmnh/passpig.htm

Jackson, J. A., & Jackson, B. S. (2007). Extinction: the Passenger Pigeon, Last Hopes, Letting Go. Wilson Journal Of Ornithology, 119(4), 767-772.

Kelly Servick. (March 3, 2013). The Plan to Bring the Iconic Passenger Pigeon Back From Extinction. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/?p=151796

Passenger Pigeon. http://sdakotabirds.com/species/

passenger_pigeon_info.htm

Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, &Darryl Wheye. (1988). The Passenger Pigeon. http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/

Passenger_Pigeon.html