Ectopistes migratorius: The Pigeon That Got Too Popular

The Ectopistes migratorius, also known as the passenger pigeon, was once one of the most populous birds in North America. With a range spanning from Maine to Florida and as far west as Texas, it’s estimated that these birds once numbered in the billions.

But as with many things, popularity can be a double-edged sword. The passenger pigeon was so abundant that people began to take them for granted. They were hunted for their meat and feathers, with some flock sizes allegedly so large that they darkened the sky for hours. Even president Teddy Roosevelt got in on the action, once shooting over a thousand pigeons in a single day.

Unfortunately for the passenger pigeon, this trend proved unsustainable. As the bird’s numbers dwindled, efforts were made to protect them - but it was too little, too late. The last surviving passenger pigeon, a captive female named Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, officially marking the extinction of the species.

In retrospect, the rise and fall of the passenger pigeon is a cautionary tale. We can’t take the abundance of something for granted and expect it to last forever.

So while we can’t bring back the passenger pigeon, we can remember it as a quirky footnote in American history. A bird so popular that it brought about its own demise - and one that, for better or worse, will always have a place in our hearts.