Have you heard the heartbreaking story of the last passenger pigeon to ever live? Flocks of this pigeon species were once so dense that they’d block out the sun for days. Yet, a toxic mix of commercial hunting and deforestation brought a population of five billion down to a single bird. Martha, the last-standing passenger pigeon, tragically died alone in a cage in 1914. 

Although devastating, this story became a driving force behind modern bird conservation efforts. In this article, we speak with Bob Mulvihill, Lead Ornithologist at the National Aviary, about the demise of passenger pigeons. Learn about Martha’s final days and the resulting rise of bird conservation efforts.

Passenger Pigeon Extinction

The passenger pigeon, also known as the wild pigeon, was a species native to North America that is now extinct. Unfortunately, the last living passenger pigeon, Martha, died in the early 1900s.

“The story of the passenger pigeon’s extinction, aptly titled ‘From Billions to None,’ is hard to comprehend in this day and age of conservation ethics, wildlife protections, and widespread community interest in bird watching, bird feeding, and monitoring of bird populations,” says Mulvihill. “Hundreds of millions of passenger pigeons nested in vast colonies stretching over hundreds of miles of forest. In the early nineteenth century, they could darken the skies when their flocks of millions took to flight.”

Sometimes, skies would remain dark for days at a time, thanks to the vastness of these flocks.

“It was the birds’ highly social and colonial nesting behavior that was the species’ Achilles heel,” Mulvihill explains. “In great numbers, their population was strong and impressive, but as they became the targets of vast market hunters in the mid-1800’s, aided by the newly built railroad and telegraph lines, they soon experienced an onslaught from which they would never recover.”

The greatest threats to this particular pigeon species included commercial overhunting and deforestation. Many passenger pigeons were shot, poisoned, and even burned. However, not all humans viewed them with such disdain.

“In contrast, Native Americans, having long associated with the species, incorporated the passenger pigeon into their beliefs and rituals, performing dances and songs inspired by the bird,” Mulvihill explains. “As a food source, they focused on young pigeons and generally refrained from entering the nesting colonies before the adults could produce their young. Their sustainable hunting of the species did not reduce the overall population.”