During the last half of the 19th century, their populations experienced a sharp decline. People were cutting down trees to clear areas for houses and farmland, which disrupted the lives of the birds. Since they congregated in large flocks, they needed vast forests to roost and feed in.
In addition to the loss of habitat, commercial sales of pigeon meat, which was considered a cheap source of protein, contributed to the extinction of the passenger pigeon. The birds’ tendency to gather in huge flocks made them easy targets for hunters.
“Commercial hunters would get word that a flock had shown up at some locality, and the hunters would go and set off nets or just fire repeatedly with their shotguns,” Dean said.
“The flock was such a tight-knit group that even as individuals were falling and dying, the rest of the flock wouldn’t leave.”
When scientists realized that the species was going to die out, efforts were made to save the passenger pigeons.
However, they were too late. The birds could not be bred successfully within small groups in captivity. So, when Martha died, the passenger pigeons were no more.
Decades later, the world is warming faster today than at any other point in recorded history, and more and more creatures are at risk of being wiped out, making the story of the passenger pigeon more relevant than ever.
