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Passenger Pigeon
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Ectopistes
Species: Ectopistes migratorius

The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) is an extinct, memorable pigeon that was once a very abundant bird in North America.

Description[]

These pigeons were about 40 cm long, had mostly gray upper and lighter lower torso, iridescent pinkish bronze plumage on the neck, and black patches on the wings. Sexual dimorphism was observed in size and color; females were smaller, duller and darker than males.

Voice[]

The calls of this pigeon were described as loud, harsh, and unmusical. Clucks, cooing and twittering were noted. The sequence of low notes did little to resemble a real song of a bird. During the construction of the nest, the birds emitted croaking sounds. During mating, they emitted bell-like sounds. During feeding, some individuals sounded out alarm calls when facing a threat, and rest of the birds would follow the directed call while taking off.

Behavior[]

The Passenger Pigeon played an important ecological role in the life of the pre-Columbian forests of eastern North America. At that time, the forests were dominated by white oaks, which germinated in autumn and did not allow the pigeons to feed on their seeds in the spring breeding season; food served acorns of red oaks, which ripen in the spring. Due to the absence of the Passenger Pigeon's seed consumption, it led to the modern domination of red oaks. The accumulation of flammable materials (broken branches and dead foliage), which probably increased the frequency and power of forest fires, destroyed the surface vegetation layer. These circumstances contributed to the development of fire-resistant species of oaks, such as bur oaks, black oaks and white oaks. For these reasons, some environmentalists have included the Passenger Pigeon among the key species. The circumstances contributing to the development of fire-resistant species of oaks can explain the change in the composition of eastern forests since the Passenger Pigeon's extinction, from white oaks, bur oaks, and black oaks predominating in the forests, to the “dramatic expansion” of red oaks today.

Feeding[]

The Passenger Pigeon changed its diet depending on the season. In autumn, winter and spring, it ate mostly nuts, acorns and chestnuts. In summer, the main food eaten were berries and soft fruits like blueberry, grape, cherry, mulberry, pokeberry and bunchberry. The Passenger Pigeon also ate worms, insect larvae, gastropods and other invertebrates, especially during the breeding season. How these pigeons found these volatile food sources is unknown, but their vision and capabilities flight helped them to scan wide areas.

Tens and hundreds of thousands of Passenger Pigeons that overturned leaves, dirt, and snow with their bills gathered in flocks to get food. The flock in search of food was described by one observer as alternately phenomenal, where birds flew ahead of the pack, losing the flight leaves and grass. For the best exploration of the area in search of food, the flocks moved along a wide ridge. When the nuts were ready to separate from their pluses, the Passenger Pigeon perched on a branch, fluttered its wings briskly to maintain balance, grabbed the fruit, separated it from the blades and swallowed it whole. After feeding, the flock could gorge on almost all fruits and nuts on its way. To explore unfamiliar areas, the final birds stood in front of the flock, but never flew far from it and hurried back to the flock. During the day, the birds left their accommodation and searched for food in open areas, flying daily to 100-130 km, and some Passenger Pigeons reportedly traveled 160 km, starting at dawn and returning at night.

Breeding and Nesting[]

In addition to finding places to spend the night, Passenger Pigeons traveled to places suitable for building nests and raising chicks. Most likely, the birds hatched once a year, although some reports spoke of more frequent reproduction. The nesting season lasted from four to six weeks. In the southern part of the range, the flock arrived in the nesting area in March, and in the northern regions after some time. The Passenger Pigeon did not stick to one place, often choosing a different nesting area each year. As a rule, nesting colonies were formed in late March, April or May.

The courtship process took place in nesting colonies and, unlike other pigeons, on a branch or perch. At first, the male waves his wings around the female and produces "keck" calls. Then, he clings tightly to the branch and vigorously flaps his wings. Approaching the female, he presses against her and points at her with his head raised high. In case of consent, the female in response presses back to the male. Before mating, the male and female preen each other. This was followed by billing, during which the female clasped the male's beak for a second, and then the pair quickly parted. The male climbed on the back of the female and mating took place, followed then by soft clucking sounds and sometimes more preening.

Immediately after the formation of the pair, the birds built nests in two to four days; in colonies, this work is significantly accelerated. The female chose a place for the nest, sitting on it or letting the wings. The male carefully selected materials, mostly branches, and then passed them to the female, being over her back. Nests were built at a height of 2.0 to 20.1 m. 70–110 woven branches created a wide, small bowl about 15 cm wide, 6.1 cm high, and 1.9 cm deep, in which the egg could be easily seen. Then, this bowl is usually lined with thin branches. Nests were placed on strong branches, closer to tree trunks. The pair is monogamous and both the male and female spent time in building the nest.

The female laid eggs during the first two weeks of April, almost immediately after the nest was built. If the nest was not ready, the pigeon sometimes laid eggs on the ground. The clutch consisted of one egg, but there were also nests with two eggs. From time to time, the female could throw her egg into the nest of another female. The egg was white, oval in shape, measuring approximately 40 × 34 mm. In case of egg loss, a new one was laid again within a week. It is also known that during the snowstorm, the whole colony left the original nesting place and founded a new one. The pair incubates eggs for 12-14 days, male from mid-morning to mid-evening, and female in other times.

The chick was born blind and was covered sparsely with a yellow down. It grew rapidly, and after 14 days, weighed as much as its parents. During this time, the couple cared for the chick, with the male caring for it in the middle of the day, and the female rest of the time. From the first days after hatching, the parents, like all other pigeon species, fed the chicks exclusively with crop milk. After 3–6 days, the diet of adult Passenger Pigeons was gradually included in the diet. At the end of 13-15 days, the parents fed the chick for the last time and left it. Before the chick left the nest and descended to the ground, it demanded food for a day or two, then got up in the nest and walked on it, bypassing obstacles and begging for food from adult birds nearby. After 3-4 days, the chick became fully feathered. The whole nesting cycle lasted about 30 days.

Distribution and Habitat[]

The Passenger Pigeon was found in much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, distributed from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast in the east, southern Canada in the north, and the northern parts of Mississippi in the south. In general, the range of the Passenger Pigeon coincided with its main habitat - the eastern deciduous forests. Within this area, Passenger Pigeons constantly migrated in search of food and shelter. It is likely that preference was given to those species of trees that could feed a whole flock. The Passenger Pigeon bred in areas from eastern and central parts of southern Canada to eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and the states Mississippi and Georgia, but the main breeding areas were in southern Ontario and around the Great Lakes in the direction of the state in the north Appalachian mountains. Although ecologically western forests were similar to eastern ones, they were occupied by Band-Tailed Pigeons, which probably did not allow Passenger Pigeons to their range due to competitive displacement.

The Passenger Pigeon wintered in lands from Arkansas, Tennessee and southern North Carolina to the coast of Texas and northern Florida. In addition, flocks were sometimes found in southern Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Birds preferred large swamps, especially in the thickets of alder trees. In the absence of swamps, they wintered in forest areas, especially among conifers. Passenger Pigeons have occasionally been observed outside the main range, especially in a number of western states, notably in Bermuda, Cuba and Mexico, especially during severe winters.

Extinction[]

In North America in the XVI-XVIII centuries, this species was the most numerous bird, the highest number of which reached from 3 to 5 billion individuals. Passenger Pigeons were hunted by Native Americans, and hunting activities increased significantly in the XIX century with the settlement of Europeans on the mainland. Their meat was used as a cheap food. The decline in the number of the species and its subsequent extinction were influenced by other factors: the mass slaughter of large nesting colonies and widespread deforestation, which destroyed its natural habitat. The extinction of the Passenger Pigeon is a classic example of the extermination of billions of individuals by a mass species due to unlimited hunting and habitat destruction. The last wild individual was probably killed in 1901, and on September 1, 1914, the last member of this species died in the Cincinnati Zoo, which was a female named Martha.

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