The Flight of the Phoenix

One of the biggest travesties facing the Earth is our vanishing wildlife. We are supposed to be shepherds of the planet – caring not only for each other, but for all the living creatures who share the planet with us – both plant and animal. It is as much their home as ours. Between global warming, poaching, pollution and the destruction of habitats, many species of animals, insects, fish and birds will soon only be living on YouTube videos.

In past centuries, many species have become extinct – some because of natural factors, but most due to human (or should I say inhuman) behavior. One of the most notable extinct species is the Dodo bird (as in “dead as the dodo”). The last confirmed sighting of a dodo was in 1662, a little more than 100 years after the bird was first seen by man! Human actions in the form of hunting and the introduction of alien species to the dodo habitat killed off the odd looking birds in a very short period.

Perhaps the biggest crime by humans against the animal kingdom was the complete destruction of the passenger pigeon. This bird was once extremely common throughout North America – perhaps the continent’s most numerous avian. It is estimated that there were approximately 5 billion passenger pigeons on American soil at the start of the 19th century. By 1915 – one hundred and fifteen years later – there were NONE. The species had been exterminated.

Passenger pigeons were colorful and gregarious birds that lived in enormous flocks – sometimes up to hundreds of millions in population. As the US expanded westward during the 1800’s, many of the bird’s habitats were destroyed. This was one of the reasons for the decline in the bird’s population. It is also postulated that the birds were struck by a disease. But the primary reason for extinction was the massive hunting of the passenger pigeon. Their meat was used as cheap food for slaves and the poor in the US.

The birds were concentrated in the Central and Eastern part of North America – from the Rocky Mountains to Southern Canada to Florida. They traveled as far south as Mexico during the winter. The passenger pigeon was a very social creature. They lived together in large flocks with many nests located close to each other. They also migrated together. Early American settlers often wrote about the pigeons. Cotton Mather described one flock as taking “several hours to pass overhead.”

In the mid 1800s, hunters began capturing the birds in mass quantities for food, as live targets for trap shooting (a truly disgusting thought) and as fertilizer. For slaves on American farms and plantations, it was often only their only source of meat. Since the birds lived in such large communities and were not scared of humans, they became easy targets for slaughter by hunters. This mass hunting resulting in the depletion of passenger pigeon colonies. Since the birds only thrived when they were living in these enormous colonies, passenger pigeons could not adequately reproduce when their numbers were reduced. Their fate was sealed/

By 1870, environmentalists and avian experts realized the bird population was declining. But the mass destruction continued unabated. There were no strong laws protecting the bird (or practically any other animal for that matter). Zoologists attempted to breed the birds in captivity. This attempt at a rescue of the species failed, as the birds could not successfully breed in small, captive spaces.

After 1870, the last super-large nesting ground of passenger pigeons was located in Michigan. In 1878, hunters began killing up to 50,000 birds each day for five months. They were being hunted into extinction – and the federal and state governments did absolutely nothing to prevent their destruction. In 1896, a flock of about 250,000 was killed – that was the last large flock left on earth.

The rapid extinction of the passenger pigeon did rouse public interest in conservation. Some laws were finally passed in the late 1890s to protect the bird. They were weak and barely enforced. Besides it was too little, too late. Conservationists soon realized that the passenger pigeon’s numbers were too few to regenerate the species. The last live passenger pigeon seen in the wild was in 1900. The only birds left lived in several zoos across the country – where they could not successfully reproduce.

On September 1, 1914 – Martha, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Martha was carefully stuffed and sent to the Smithsonian. The closest related species to the passenger pigeon is the Morning Dove. This dove is still abundant in North America.

From billions of birds in 1870, to none in 1914 – 44 years is a blip of time to see such mass extinction. Laws protecting animals started to be passed – but not in time to save the passenger pigeon. Watching how we treat the seas and ecosystem today – the passenger pigeon will sadly only be one of many species left standing as a stuffed bird. You have to wonder if Daphne Du Maurier’s novel The Birds was about the revenge of the passenger pigeon.

Note:
The phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold. After its nest burns, a new young phoenix bird arises from the ashes. The Flight of the Phoenix was the title of novel by Elleston Trevor about a plane that crashes in the desert. It was made into a terrific movie in 1965, starring James Stewart and Peter Finch (do not watch the crappy 2004 remake).

Crossposted at Distributorcap NY.

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