The Migratory Pigeon was described by Linnaeus in 1766 and has been the wonder of naturalists since early times, astonishing due to the fact that it existed in incredible numbers, and by 1917 it was practically extinct. Its speed greatly exceeded one mile per minute. It was native to North America and was found throughout the eastern part of North America, as far north as the interior of Hudson Bay, and as far south as the north or center of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It could withstand intense cold, so it did not migrate for this reason, but rather due to food depletion, which forced it to move between forests that provided this source. They were gregarious like most pigeons, but to protect themselves from human persecution, they changed their habits and, years before they disappeared completely, adapted to breeding in dispersed pairs (Paxson, 1917).

The first references to the species are not very clear, but they are sufficient to demonstrate that they were very abundant. As early as 1634, Captain Thomas Yong reported finding "an infinite number of wild pigeons." In 1683, a letter from William Penn speaks of "pigeons in abundance." On February 10th of the same year, another letter from Pennsylvania by Thomas Paskel observes "great quantities of birds, so much so that only the pigeons with rings are worth shooting." A letter from Doctor Moore comments, "We have had such an abundance of pigeons this summer that we have fed all our deer with them." In 1729, Thomas Makin commented, "Here, in the fall, large flocks of pigeons fly, so numerous that they darken the entire sky" (Paxson, 1917).

Watson also recounts, "In 1793, just before the yellow fever outbreak, flocks flew daily over Philadelphia and were shot in large numbers. The markets were saturated with them, and generally, there was nothing else but a single acorn. It foreshadowed something bad... and the disease and death came." "In the house of every farmer, they kept a domesticated Migratory Pigeon in a cage at the door, to be used at any time to attract the wild ones when they approached." "Mr. William Worrell, at nearly one hundred years of age, says he remembered when immense flocks gathered in the Marple township, Chester County, that darkened the rays of the sun. One night, alongside people who visited him, they couldn’t hear or speak because of the strong buzzing sound they produced" (Paxson, 1917).

On August 7, 1895, John F. Ferry reports the capture of a juvenile brought by a boy who hunted it in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States (Deane, 1896).

In October 1895, H. V. Ogden observed an individual in Delta County, Michigan, United States (Deane, 1896).

On October 22, 1896, J. Hughes Samuel observed 11 individuals flying southwest in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

On August 14, 1897, A. Fugleberg observed over 345 individuals distributed in 6 flocks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States (Deane, 1898).

On September 2, 1897, 25 individuals were observed near Lake Butte des Morts, Wisconsin, United States, a place where they had not been seen for 4 years (Deane, 1898).

On April 14, 1898, G. E. Atkinson captured an adult male in Winnipegosis, Manitoba, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

On September 14, 1898, C. Campion captured an immature individual in Detroit, Michigan, United States (Fleming, 1903).

On May 16, 1900, Oliver Spanner observed a flock of about 10 individuals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

On July 6, 1900, Hughes Samuel observed five individuals flying over Toronto Island Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

On May 16, 1902, A. L. Young observed 1 individual in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

On May 18, 1902, A. L. Young observed 2 individuals in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada (Fleming, 1903).

By 1917, they had been completely exterminated. A permanent reward of U$S 5,000 was offered by a committee of naturalists to anyone who disclosed a pair of nesting pigeons, which went unclaimed for more than two years. In other words, a century after Wilson recorded one of the largest flocks of these pigeons, the species had completely disappeared as if it had never existed (Paxson, 1917).

The last Migratory Pigeon was in the Cincinnati zoo. It was incubated at the zoo, a flock of pigeons received around 1877 from northern Michigan, United States. This small group was kept in a cage of about twelve square feet, and originally consisted of ten individuals, of which half a dozen or more were incubated. The individuals gradually died until 1910, when only one pair remained. In that year, the male, the older of the two, around 26 years old, died, leaving the female as the only survivor. Mr. S. A. Stephan, General Manager of the Cincinnati zoo, wrote to Paxson on October 14, 1912, regarding this individual: "She is approximately 22 years old. She is in perfect condition and plumage. Previously the group attracted little attention in the zoo, but this lone survivor is now considered the greatest curiosity of the zoo" (Paxson, 1917).

On September 1, 1914, the last known individual, the female named "Martha," died at the Cincinnati zoo (Harvey and Newbern, 2014). Although she is indicated as approximately 29 years old (Harvey and Newbern, 2014), according to what can be calculated from the letter of S. A. Stephan, the General Manager of the Cincinnati zoo (Paxson, 1917), Martha would have been 24 years old at the time of her death.

American scientists are working on a project to bring it back to life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKc9MJDeqj0


Figure N° 1. Specimens exhibited at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.


Author of this compilation: Jorge La Grotteria - 25/05/2017

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