Friday, January 22, 2016

Passenger Pidgeon

Hi All,

Today we attended the Timucuan Science & History Symposium sponsored by the park. Lots of interesting presentations and exhibits of items from the Timucuan museum collection. One exhibit caught our eye.

This is (or was) a Passenger Pidgeon .

Talk about a cautionary tale. In the early 19th century, Passenger Pidgeon flocks numbered in the hundreds of millions, possibly billions! They darkened the sky during migration.

By 1871 the flock was still estimated at 136 million. How could a bird still so numerous be driven to extinction?

Uncontrolled hunting!

On September 1, 1914, the last remaining Passenger Pidgeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Be nice to our feathered friends.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502

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