Humans Final Straw In Passenger Pigeons’ Extinction
February 26, 2018 at 3:59 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Of course, most anyone knows that these huge reptiles vanished more than 65 million years ago, likely due to an asteroid or meteor striking the earth with deadly climatic and geological changes. However, should that same person inquire about passenger pigeons, that is another matter.
While I was not witness to their demise, my mother was, and so was anyone else alive in 1914.
Passenger pigeons were once the most abundant birds in the world, with an estimated population of at least 3 billion in the 1800s. By 1902, none survived in the wild, and on September 1, 1914, the very last one, named Martha, was found dead on the floor of her cage in the Cincinnati zoo. There was a concerted effort after that time to search for survivors, and rewards were offered to anyone finding a nest or nesting colony, but these attempts were futile. The same was true with efforts to breed the early surviving birds. (Passenger pigeons require large numbers for optimum breeding conditions.) The extinction in a mere five decades is a reminder that even a bird numbering in the billions can be decimated within a human lifetime.
In the 1800s and before, migratory flocks of passenger pigeons were so immense that they blanketed the skies of eastern North America. One individual recounted a mile wide swath passing overhead blocking the sun for three consecutive days. The birds flew at an estimated speed of 60 miles an hour. Nesting birds took over entire forests, trees were crammed with dozens of nests, collectively weighing so much that branches would break and tree trunks would topple. Surface vegetation was destroyed by the thick layers of the birds’ excrement. Sound was overwhelming. But the birds were not just noisy, they were tasty too, and their arrival guaranteed an abundance of free food. Unfortunately, passenger pigeons also devoured crops, caused great loss to farmers, and greatly influenced forest composition by consuming and dispersing acorns, beechnuts, seeds and berries. Worms and insects supplemented their diet in spring and summer.
The scientific name for passenger pigeons is Ectopistes migratorius. Ectopistes means "moving about or wandering" and migratorius means migrating. The name indicates that the bird migrates not only in the spring and fall, but one that also moves about from season to season to select the most favorable environment for nesting and feeding. The bird was designed for grace, speed and maneuverability, and the wings were powered by large breast muscles that provided the capability for prolonged flight.
Of course, other species have become extinct, but the passenger pigeon is the most famous example, and thus the species has been extensively studied. Human exploitation can account for most of the loss of these magnificent birds by reducing their breeding grounds and relentless hunting. James Audubon, the famous naturalist, noted on his travels along the Ohio river that as soon as the flocks of birds arrived, the river banks were crowded with men and boys shooting at them incessantly, and multitudes were destroyed.
Throughout the 1800s the hunt for passenger pigeons grew until it became a massive slaughter. New DNA studies, however, indicate that humans were only the final straw in destroying a species that was already vulnerable and headed for trouble. Research involving the pigeon's genome has shown that the total number of passenger pigeons had widely fluctuated throughout the last million years. The population was already in decline and plummeting long before hunting increased. Unfortunately, the human element occurred during the decline phase. One other factor was the reduced availability of seed crops for feeding that occurred as forests were converted into farms.
As mentioned above, other animals, including the dodo, the great auk, the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), the Chinese river dolphin and the imperial woodpecker, have been driven extinct. Many more species are endangered. An example is the saiga, a type of antelope, that recently suffered from a mysterious illness that killed more than half of the species in less than a month.
Because of impending extinction, there is an effort to bring some of these species back to life. One animal brought back, only to become extinct again, was a wild goat known as bucardo. It was a large creature, weighing up to 220 pounds and having long, gently curving horns. Hunters drove down their population over several centuries. By 1989, there were just a dozen or so left. The last one, a female, had its cells preserved; these were used to implant eggs into surrogate goats. Only one survived, a 4-pound hybrid that died shortly after birth.
It is highly unlikely that such an effort will be made to de-extinct the passenger pigeon. How would residents of New York or Chicago feel about droves of new pigeons arriving in those cities, darkening the skies and depositing their waste over the streets and buildings?
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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Of course, most anyone knows that these huge reptiles vanished more than 65 million years ago, likely due to an asteroid or meteor striking the earth with deadly climatic and geological changes. However, should that same person inquire about passenger pigeons, that is another matter.
While I was not witness to their demise, my mother was, and so was anyone else alive in 1914.
Passenger pigeons were once the most abundant birds in the world, with an estimated population of at least 3 billion in the 1800s. By 1902, none survived in the wild, and on September 1, 1914, the very last one, named Martha, was found dead on the floor of her cage in the Cincinnati zoo. There was a concerted effort after that time to search for survivors, and rewards were offered to anyone finding a nest or nesting colony, but these attempts were futile. The same was true with efforts to breed the early surviving birds. (Passenger pigeons require large numbers for optimum breeding conditions.) The extinction in a mere five decades is a reminder that even a bird numbering in the billions can be decimated within a human lifetime.
In the 1800s and before, migratory flocks of passenger pigeons were so immense that they blanketed the skies of eastern North America. One individual recounted a mile wide swath passing overhead blocking the sun for three consecutive days. The birds flew at an estimated speed of 60 miles an hour. Nesting birds took over entire forests, trees were crammed with dozens of nests, collectively weighing so much that branches would break and tree trunks would topple. Surface vegetation was destroyed by the thick layers of the birds’ excrement. Sound was overwhelming. But the birds were not just noisy, they were tasty too, and their arrival guaranteed an abundance of free food. Unfortunately, passenger pigeons also devoured crops, caused great loss to farmers, and greatly influenced forest composition by consuming and dispersing acorns, beechnuts, seeds and berries. Worms and insects supplemented their diet in spring and summer.
The scientific name for passenger pigeons is Ectopistes migratorius. Ectopistes means "moving about or wandering" and migratorius means migrating. The name indicates that the bird migrates not only in the spring and fall, but one that also moves about from season to season to select the most favorable environment for nesting and feeding. The bird was designed for grace, speed and maneuverability, and the wings were powered by large breast muscles that provided the capability for prolonged flight.
Of course, other species have become extinct, but the passenger pigeon is the most famous example, and thus the species has been extensively studied. Human exploitation can account for most of the loss of these magnificent birds by reducing their breeding grounds and relentless hunting. James Audubon, the famous naturalist, noted on his travels along the Ohio river that as soon as the flocks of birds arrived, the river banks were crowded with men and boys shooting at them incessantly, and multitudes were destroyed.
Throughout the 1800s the hunt for passenger pigeons grew until it became a massive slaughter. New DNA studies, however, indicate that humans were only the final straw in destroying a species that was already vulnerable and headed for trouble. Research involving the pigeon's genome has shown that the total number of passenger pigeons had widely fluctuated throughout the last million years. The population was already in decline and plummeting long before hunting increased. Unfortunately, the human element occurred during the decline phase. One other factor was the reduced availability of seed crops for feeding that occurred as forests were converted into farms.
As mentioned above, other animals, including the dodo, the great auk, the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), the Chinese river dolphin and the imperial woodpecker, have been driven extinct. Many more species are endangered. An example is the saiga, a type of antelope, that recently suffered from a mysterious illness that killed more than half of the species in less than a month.
Because of impending extinction, there is an effort to bring some of these species back to life. One animal brought back, only to become extinct again, was a wild goat known as bucardo. It was a large creature, weighing up to 220 pounds and having long, gently curving horns. Hunters drove down their population over several centuries. By 1989, there were just a dozen or so left. The last one, a female, had its cells preserved; these were used to implant eggs into surrogate goats. Only one survived, a 4-pound hybrid that died shortly after birth.
It is highly unlikely that such an effort will be made to de-extinct the passenger pigeon. How would residents of New York or Chicago feel about droves of new pigeons arriving in those cities, darkening the skies and depositing their waste over the streets and buildings?
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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