Migration Patterns of Passenger Pigeons

The passenger pigeon was a native bird of the United States that became extinct in the wild in the late 1800s and extinct in captivity in 1914, according to the Smithsonian Encyclopedia. The migration of the passenger pigeon began early in the spring with the pigeon moving north to breed and feed, before returning to the southern U.S. for the cold winter months.

  1. History

    • The extinction of the passenger pigeon is well researched and recorded because of the large numbers of birds that were present upon European discovery of the Americas. From 3 billion to 5 billion birds are thought to have lived in the U.S. at the time of European exploration. Passenger pigeons made up between 25 and 40 percent of the total bird population of the U.S., according to the Smithsonian Encyclopedia. The last captive passenger pigeon, named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on Sept. 1, 1914, at the age of 29.

    Habitat

    • The large number of passenger pigeons required large hardwood forests to allow the species to nest and roost. The number of birds that roosted together is reported to have caused tree limbs to collapse beneath their weight, The Birds of North America reports. As European settlers began to remove hardwoods from the U.S. for agricultural reasons, the passenger pigeon altered its feeding habits to eating grain crops. Throughout the year, passenger pigeons fed on beechnuts, acorns, chestnuts, seeds and berries, with worms and insects added to the diet in the spring and summer.

    Migration

    • In the fall and winter, the passenger pigeon resided in the southern U.S. The birds would move north to the central region of the U.S. as soon as winter snowfall began to melt. During the spring months, the birds would breed. When breeding was completed, the pigeons moved farther north for feeding in the late summer. As fall came and temperatures began to drop, the passenger pigeon migrated south to its winter nesting grounds.

    Nomadic

    • The passenger pigeon is described by The Birds of North America as a nomadic bird, which moved into different areas of the U.S. in search of food. The movement of the birds changed each year. The southern migration of the passenger pigeon would take in the Atlantic coastal regions of Virginia and the Carolinas. Movement north would often take place to the west of the Appalachians. The migration of the passenger pigeon could last for several days and have so many birds in a single migration that the sky would be darkened by the numbers.