When the last passenger pigeon died. The tragedy of the passenger pigeons. The birth of new individuals

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FEDERAL EDUCATION AGENCY OF THE RF

ABSTRACT

by discipline: NATURAL SCIENCE

on the topic of: WANDERINGPIGEON

Completed by: 5B class student

Secondary school No. 17

Gimazetdinov Rafael

Nizhnevartovsk, 2011

This small, long-tailed pigeon lived on the North American continent from Hudson Bay in the north to Mexico in the south, and from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Atlantic coast in the east. By the middle of the 19th century, it remained the most numerous bird on earth.

This pigeon led a nomadic life. Having cleared the deciduous forest of one area from fruits and seeds, millions of pigeons took to the air and sometimes flew thousands of kilometers to a new suitable place. In the new forest, they continued to feed for several weeks and even months, nested near feeding areas, and then, having exhausted food resources, withdrew in search of new productive areas. Their nesting did not depend on the season; they often hatched chicks several times during the year.

Wanderingpigeon or migratorypigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) is an extinct bird of the pigeon family. Until the 19th century, it was one of the most common birds on Earth, the total number of which was estimated at 3-5 billion individuals.

Body length is 35-40 cm, wing length is about 20 cm, body weight is 250-340 g, the head and lower back are gray, the back is brownish, the chest is reddish. The eyes are red.

The passenger pigeon was distributed in the deciduous forests of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, from southern and central Canada to North Carolina, and wintered in the southern United States.

The passenger pigeon kept in huge flocks, the nesting colony of pigeons in the state of Wisconsin occupied all the trees in the forest over an area of ​​2200 km², the total number of the colony was estimated at 160 million individuals, sometimes there were up to a hundred nests on one tree. During the season, a pair of passenger pigeons hatched only one chick.

The population decline occurred gradually from 1800 to 1870, but a catastrophic decline in the number of birds occurred from 1870 to 1890.

The extinction of the passenger pigeon occurred due to many factors, the main one of which was commercial extermination for meat. The last mass nesting was observed in 1883, the last time a passenger pigeon was found in the wild was in 1899. The last pigeon, Martha (eng. Martha), died in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden (USA) on September 1, 1914.

Stories about passenger pigeons (Ecopises migraorius) that lived in North America read like a science fiction novel. A little over a hundred years ago, this pigeon was the most numerous bird in the United States, if not the whole world. There were billions of birds in individual colonies. Hardly any birds gathered in such monstrous flocks. They flew over the earth in such thick clouds that they literally darkened the sky. Flying birds covered the entire sky from horizon to horizon, the noise from their flapping wings resembled the whistle of a storm wind.

“The extraordinary strength of their wings,” Audubon says about passenger pigeons, “gives them the opportunity to make amazing flights. It happened that in the vicinity of New York, pigeons were killed whose crops contained rice, while they could only eat it in the fields of Carolina. If we take into account that their digestion occurs with such speed that the swallowed grains are completely digested in 12 hours, then we will come to the conclusion that these pigeons flew 300-400 English miles in 6 hours, i.e. a mile per minute; at this speed of movement they could reach Europe in 3 days.”

One of the first American ornithologists, Alexander Wilson, saw a flock of passenger pigeons flying over him for four hours in 1810. It stretches for 380 km. He roughly calculated how many birds were in it, and received an incredible figure - 1,115,135,000 pigeons! This means that in one flock of pigeons there were more than all birds in general in such a country as Finland!

Further calculations provide even more striking results. Let's say that each pigeon weighed three hundred grams, then it turns out that the weight of the entire flock is about half a million tons! In a day, such an army of birds ate 617 cubic meters of all kinds of food. “This is more,” writes British naturalist Frank Lane, “the daily ration of soldiers of all warring countries by the end of the Second World War!”

Passenger pigeons mainly ate acorns, chestnuts, beech and other nuts. Where these birds usually fed, but more often at roosting sites, crowds of “hunters” gathered from all over the area eagerly awaited them. They destroyed the pigeons in every possible way that was suitable for this. They shot from shotguns, rifles, and pistols. Even machine gun first invented For wars With pigeons. The flocks of pigeons were so dense and sometimes they flew so low that the colonists knocked them down with poles, and the fishermen with oars.

The tragedy of the passenger pigeons was completed by the introduction of railways and telegraphs into the interior of the American continent. Now these birds could be quickly delivered to markets. And the telegraph speeded up the notification of the mentioned “getters” about the appearance here and there of flocks of pigeons large enough for fishing. And the harvesters rushed there.

Between 1860 and 1870, millions of passenger pigeons were killed, but in the following decade only hundreds of thousands were killed, and by 1890 all large breeding colonies of passenger pigeons had been destroyed. And although there were no longer mass hunts, the last passenger pigeon was killed in 1899 (according to other sources, 7 years later). A passenger pigeon named “Martha” who lived in captivity (at the Cincinnati Zoo) died in September 1914. This was the last representative of a species that had recently been unusually numerous.

The extermination of a fantastically numerous species was so sudden that the Americans could not recover from the surprise of what had happened for a long time. Several “theories” have been invented to explain the stunningly rapid, “like an explosion of dynamite” disappearance of pigeons (by the way, this same dynamite was also used to hunt them!) According to one “theory”, all the pigeons allegedly drowned in the Atlantic Ocean when they “emigrated "to South America. They even came up with the idea that passenger pigeons supposedly flew to the North Pole and froze there.

passenger pigeon bird extinction

Conclusion

It is not the North Pole or the Atlantic Ocean that are to blame for the extermination of passenger pigeons, but a more terrible element, whose name will be named by the American scientist Robert McClung: “In the state of Wisconsin, the local ornithological society erected ... a memorial plaque with the inscription: “In memory of the last Wisconsin passenger pigeon, killed in Babkon in September 1899. This species became extinct due to the greed and frivolity of man."

Bibliography

1. Igor Ivanovich Akimushkin. The Tragedy of the Passenger Pigeon // “Traces of Unseen Beasts.” M.: Geographgiz, 1961.

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Stories of the disappearance of once numerous species of animals and birds repeatedly highlight the cruelty and short-sightedness of humanity. This is evidenced by the extermination of a huge number of passenger pigeons, which in the 18th and early 19th centuries were the most numerous birds not only on the American continent, but throughout the world.

The main habitat of this amazing bird was the passenger pigeon. The passenger pigeon received its name because of its habit of moving in flocks from place to place in search of food. Having eaten everything in one area, the flock rose into the sky, flying to another forest. The birds mainly ate tree seeds, acorns, nuts and chestnuts. They settled in huge colonies numbering up to one billion individuals.

Up to a hundred pigeons nested on one tree. Each nest contained only one egg, but the birds could raise several chicks in one year. Their numbers were so enormous that during flights they blocked out the sun, and the noise from their flapping wings was so loud that it filled the ears. The passenger pigeon had a fairly good speed, flying one mile per minute, that is, it could cross the ocean and fly to Europe in just three days.

In the 19th century, the American government decided to exterminate this bird species. Since the pigeon meat was edible, hunters were immediately found. People came at night to the habitats of birds, cut down trees, killing chicks and adults. They shot at the unfortunates with rifles and pistols; even a stone thrown into a flock killed several pigeons at once.

The extinct bird was then sold in markets for two carcasses. Their bodies were loaded into wagons and sent for sale, people salted pigeons, and then fed them to domestic animals, making fertilizers from them. Between 1860 and 1870, about a million individuals were exterminated. Then, every year, the passenger pigeon began to appear less and less often, the flocks became noticeably thinner, but this did not stop the bloodthirsty hunters.

The last representative of this species was killed in 1899. The Americans immediately perked up, realizing what they had done, but it was too late. The passenger pigeon was wiped out from the face of the Earth in just a few decades. The government promised a reward of one million dollars for the discovered pair of birds, but all in vain.

No one wants to blame themselves, so various reasons for the disappearance of this species of birds have been invented. According to one of them, the pigeons set off but, unable to withstand the harsh conditions, died. The second theory said that the remaining colony of birds went to Australia, but on the way they were caught by a terrible storm, so the entire flock drowned. Perhaps this species simply could not exist in small colonies, and therefore died.

Be that as it may, the blame for the disappearance of passenger pigeons falls entirely on the shoulders of man. Extinct birds became a clear confirmation of the greed, cruelty, bloodthirstiness and stupidity of people. Man was able to destroy the most numerous species of birds in such a short time and did not even notice in time that they were on the verge of extinction. If this continues, the planet will soon become deserted and dull. We ourselves cut down the branches on which we sit, and we don’t even notice it.

Passenger pigeons were found in Canada and the USA back in the 19th century. At that time, this species was one of the numerous among other pigeons.

In the state of Ontario alone there were about 162 colonies of these birds.

Passenger Pigeon Lifestyle

Passenger pigeons lived in trees; one tree could contain up to hundreds of nests of these birds. Local residents say that often the branches could not bear the weight of the large number of pigeons sitting on them and broke.

Each female brought only one egg. Passenger pigeons led a nomadic lifestyle; as soon as food problems arose in the feeding area, the birds gathered in large colonies and flew away to a new place. That is why these pigeons were called “passenger pigeons”.

Appearance of passenger pigeons

The size of the feathered pigeons was small. Their wings were narrow in shape, and their tail tapered towards the bottom. The head was covered with blue feathers.

The back, wings and tail of the passenger pigeon were dark gray in color, the belly was white, and the chest and head were red-brown. They had bright red eyes.

Reasons for the extinction of the species

For 50 years, people brutally exterminated these defenseless birds, which led to the extinction of the passenger pigeon. The number of pigeons decreased gradually from 1800 to 1870, and then the number began to fall sharply. There were many factors that influenced the extinction of the species, but poaching turned out to be the main one.

The last large nesting of these birds was noted in 1883. The last living specimen was recorded in Ohio in 1900. In 1914, the last female passenger pigeon, named Martha, died at a zoological garden in the United States.

When these pigeons lived in numerous colonies in North America. They destroyed entire plantations of fruits and nuts. Such gluttony of these birds could not please the colonists. Moreover, the pigeon meat was very tasty. Therefore, birds were killed in huge numbers. They were eaten, buried in ice cellars, and the carcasses were fed to dogs. People even held competitions to shoot passenger pigeons.

Just half a century was enough for a numerous species to disappear from the face of our planet. In addition to passenger pigeons, extinct members of the order are the silver-backed pigeon and the Mauritian blue pigeon.

The incredibly sensual passenger pigeon has become a real symbol of love and tenderness for many people. Surprisingly, this bird, like a human, looked for a mate only once in its life. The birds looked after the chicks together and even took turns hatching eggs. The history of their life and why so many flocks disappeared will be discussed in this article. The story of an extinct breed once again presents society with a sad and instructive story.

The most interesting species of these pigeons was famous not only for its touching habits, but also attracted the attention of passersby with the bright color of its feathers. The heads and lower backs of the birds were dark blue, and the long necks of the individuals “burned” brightly red. The small sides delighted the viewer with a purple tint, and the neat bellies were snow-white.

The overall riot of colors was complemented by bright red eyes and an elegant long blue tail. The missing pigeon was a medium-sized bird:

• body length of males varied from 38 to 41 cm;
• body of females 37-40 cm;
• weight from 260 to 350 g;
• beak 15-17 mm (using it, birds could peck seeds and nuts from the ground).

Individuals of both sexes had the same color, so a person could easily get lost in the riot of colors, trying to look at an individual bird. The birds surprised viewers not only with the color of their feathers, but also with their touching habits, because passenger pigeons, like a large and friendly family, always stayed together.

Habitats of huge flocks

Amazing pigeons have become natural proof of true friendship and unity, because, despite great danger, they always flocked together in huge flocks.

Eyewitnesses recall that the number of migrating birds was so great that during the time that the birds were in the air, people were unable to see a gap in the sky.

The view, which had sunk into oblivion, allowed a person to plunge into the plot of a fairy tale, because the space above one’s head was painted in a real living rainbow for several minutes. Experts say that, by the will of fate, it was the habit of sticking together that helped passenger pigeons disappear from the face of the earth forever.

The birds' habitat was deciduous forests in the east of the North American continent, mainly huge flocks gathered near oak trees. The size of one “family” was estimated at millions of individuals, and at the same time, the passenger pigeon disappeared forever in a very short time.

The birth of new individuals

The once widespread passenger pigeon was characterized by very little fertility. One pair of birds raised only one chick per year. Moreover, for both parents, hatching an egg was a responsible task that lasted approximately 14-16 days. Afterwards, for two weeks, the adults carefully took care of the baby and diligently fed him.

The beautiful appearance of the bird was distinguished by one more feature - its mating dance. The “in love” male brightly stuck out his chest and lowered his tail spread out like a fan, demonstrating his interest to the female.

The nesting period until the extinction of passenger pigeons lasted from March to May. A male and a female took part in the construction of the “dwelling”. Smart birds were a species of very loyal allies, because they created pairs once and for life.

Reasons for the extinction of the species

The loyal and friendly species of pigeons once numbered several billion individuals, but in a short time the birds, like the wind, disappeared from the face of the earth. We can say without any doubt that humans are to blame for the disappearance of wandering birds. Individuals gathered in huge dense flocks, so hunters rushing for profit killed dozens of birds with one shot.

Passenger pigeons did not see humans as a great dangerawns, and this ultimately destroyed them. The American Indians knew well that the meat of birds is very tasty, but despite their lack of education, they never hunted them during nesting. This rule was ignored by “gourmets” in the 19th century, and then the mass shooting of birds began.

The wandering species of pigeons is beginning to be exterminated; there are fewer and fewer individuals. It is assumed that then no one paid attention to the endangered birds, so the era of their existence quickly came to an end.

According to some sources, the last pigeon in the wild died in 1899 in Ohio, other sources indicate that this happened in 1900. But at that time, the only representative of the passenger pigeon still remained in captivity. Martha was the name of an individual from the Cincinnati Zoo who died in 1914.

If the information from this article was instructive for you, then be sure to share the link with your friends.

If you are a supporter of the idea that it is not humans who are to blame for the extinction of passenger pigeons, then express your opinion in the comments.

Exactly 100 years ago, on the first day of September, the last passenger pigeon disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Photo of Martha, the last of the passenger pigeons. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (Washington)

In 1813, ornithologist John James Audubon was traveling through Kentucky when the sky was suddenly darkened by a giant flock of passenger pigeons. The bird cloud continued its flight throughout the day. Audubon estimated the number of birds in the flock at 1 billion. According to other scientists, 3-5 billion passenger pigeons lived in America at that time.

One century later, on September 1, 1914, at one o'clock in the afternoon, 29-year-old Martha, the last of the passenger pigeons, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. For a hundred years, the bird's remains have been preserved at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum as a reminder of the fragility of natural ecosystems and the real threat of species extinction.

Until the 1840s, passenger pigeons were the most abundant bird in North America. They flourished throughout almost the entire United States from the plains of the central part of the country to the east and, according to various estimates, made up from 25% to 40% of all birds. Measuring twice the size of our common pigeons, they fed primarily on seeds and nuts, and lived in huge, socially structured flocks.

However, during the second half of the 19th century, the number of passenger pigeons fell at an alarming rate. By the 1870s, it became clear that the number of birds had decreased so much that they could no longer restore their numbers, and the flocks became smaller and smaller.

The first reason for the extinction of pigeons was deforestation to build houses and farms, this disrupted the life cycle of the birds. After all, huge flocks needed large forests for nesting and feeding. After the reduction of forest areas and the development of farming, birds began to search for food in farmers' fields, often causing damage to crops. Farmers began to control the birds, killing them by the hundreds and using them for food. However, this was not critical to the welfare of passenger pigeons.

The real trouble came when professional hunters became interested in the birds and began selling their trophies to stores as a cheap source of protein. Pigeons lived in large colonies in which individuals were closely connected to each other by invisible threads. This feature, which once contributed to the stability of the population, has become a source of disaster. As soon as a professional hunter noticed a flock of pigeons in the area, the news instantly spread among his colleagues, they pulled nets or simply shot thousands of pigeons with guns. The flock was like a single organism, so even seeing that the birds were falling and dying on the ground, the rest did not fly away, exposing themselves to shots.

There were other, more brutal methods of killing. People placed smoking sulfur under their nests, the birds lost consciousness and fell from their nests to the ground. Some “clever guys” soaked the grains in alcohol, and then the pigeons could be taken without any weapons.

When scientists realized the danger of extinction of the species, they began to sound the alarm and make efforts to preserve passenger pigeons. However, the merciless killings continued. At that time, environmental work was just beginning; there were no laws at all to protect birds. The first 10-year ban on passenger pigeon hunting was passed in Michigan in 1897. However, it was too late; only a few representatives of this species remained in nature, which were not enough to restore the population.

The last reported sighting of a passenger pigeon in the wild dates back to 1900. By this time, only a few birds remained alive in captivity. A search for passenger pigeons was organized and rewards were announced for live birds. Between 1909 and 1912, the American Ornithologists' Union offered $1,500 to anyone who could find a nest or breeding colony of passenger pigeons. However, it was all in vain. Never again has man witnessed the grandiose spectacle of the migratory flight of these fast and graceful birds in spring and autumn.

Attempts to preserve the species through captive breeding have not been successful. Being colonial birds, large numbers of individuals were needed for optimal conditions for their reproduction. Small flocks of birds in captivity were weakened and dying.

In the end, only Martha was left. When she died, all of America learned that the last representative of the passenger pigeons had disappeared from the face of the Earth. It was shock and deep sadness. This was the first awareness of the extinction of a species before our eyes. The zoo fenced off Martha's cage and declared the area a quiet zone. Subsequently, Martha's body was transferred to the Museum of Natural History. A stuffed animal was made from it, which was exhibited as a museum exhibit. Now the stuffed animal is preserved and put into storage for eternal storage.

A century later, the story of the passenger pigeon remains a troubling fact for those concerned about the state of the environment. Their extermination triggered the adoption of many bird protection laws, thanks to which many bird species were saved, and Martha became a canonical image in the conservation of species on Earth.

American bard John Herald wrote a song about this sad story