passenger pigeon
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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)
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