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A common practice of the day was to use the live pigeons as targets in shooting galleries. They were baited with alcohol-soaked grain or with captive pigeons set up as decoys, then trapped and shot. Young squabs were easy prey for hunters who knocked them from their nests or forced them out by setting fires below them. It was also in demand as food, largely due to the fact that nesting flocks were easily accessible. The passenger pigeon was considered an agricultural pest, thus providing ample reason to kill large numbers of the birds. The species became extinct within a span of 50 years, several factors having led to its rapid demise. The artist and naturalist John James Audubon once observed a flock over a three-day period and estimated the birds were flying overhead at a rate of 300 million per hour. Alexander Wilson, the father of American ornithology, noted a flock he estimated to contain two billion birds. In the mid-1800s passenger pigeons travelled in flocks of astounding numbers. We will be utilizing social media to a large extent as we move forward so please check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds below the map for P3 related news.The passenger pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ), perhaps the world's most abundant bird species at one time, became extinct due directly to human activity. By remembering the stories of the passenger pigeon and other lost species and then tying those lessons to modern-day issues, Project Passenger Pigeon seeks to strengthen the relationship between people and the rest of nature and show how each of us can live more sustainably within the Earth’s limited natural resources.Įxplore this site for more information about these amazing birds, the broader themes of Project Passenger Pigeon, upcoming project activities, and ways you can participate. A myriad of species are currently suffering declines due to a host of human-caused activities: the story of the passenger pigeon remains a powerful cautionary tale that even the most abundant of species is not immune from potential extinction. Looking to the future, P3 still has a valuable role to play in at least two ways: by providing an historical view on species conservation and by continuing to foster the work of artists (of all media) that deal with conservation. The project engaged a broad audience through a documentary film, a new book on passenger pigeons, this website, social media, curricula, and a wide range of exhibits and programming for people of all ages. Project Passenger Pigeon (P3) came into being to mark this anniversary and promote the conservation of species and habitat, strengthen the relationship between people and nature, and foster the sustainable use of natural resources.

Yet human exploitation drove this species to extinction over the course of a few decades.Ģ014 was the centenary of this extraordinary extinction. With a likely population between 3 and 5 billion, it was the most abundant bird in North America and probably the world. The story of the passenger pigeon is unlike that of any other bird. Explore this Amazing Bird and Its Message Find interesting facts on the passenger pigeon in Canada and the U.S.