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Passenger Pigeon

Ectopistes migratorius

Abstract

Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019. Ectopistes migratorius is listed as Extinct.


The Red list Assessmenti

Last assessed

11 June 2019

Scope of assessment

Global

Population trend

Unspecified

Number of mature individuals

0

Population in detail

Habitat and ecology

Forest

Habitat and ecology in detail

Geographic range

+−
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  • Extinct

BirdLife International and Handbook of the Birds of the World (2018) 2019. Ectopistes migratorius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-3
Geographic range in detail

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Columbiformes

Family

Columbidae

Genus

Ectopistes

Scientific name

Ectopistes migratorius

Authority

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms

Common names

English

Passenger Pigeon

Taxonomic sources

del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Brooks, T. 2000. Extinct species. In: BirdLife International (ed.), Threatened Birds of the World, pp. 701-708. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona and Cambridge, U.K.

Identification Information

Taxonomic notes

Assessment Information

IUCN Red List Category and Criteria

Extinct 

ver 3.1

Date assessed

11 June 2019

Year published

2019

Year last seen

1914

Previously published Red List assessments

Regional assessments

    Assessor(s)

    BirdLife International

    Reviewer(s)

    Smith, D.

    Contributor(s)

    Facilitator(s) / Compiler(s)

    Brooks, T., Hermes, C., Khwaja, N., Mahood, S. & Martin, R.

    Partner(s) / Institution(s)

    BirdLife International

    Authority / Authorities

    IUCN SSC Bird Red List Authority (BirdLife International)

    Justification

    This species was formerly distributed across North America, but is now Extinct as a result of habitat clearance and hunting. The last reliable wild record dates from 1900, and a search beginning in 1910 failed to find it.

    Geographic Range

    Native

    Extinct

    Canada; United States

    Extinct & Vagrant

    Cuba; Mexico

    Number of locations

    Upper elevation limit

    Lower elevation limit

    Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) (km²)

    Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)

    Unknown

    Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)

    No

    Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) (km²)

    Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)

    Unknown

    Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)

    No

    Continuing decline in number of locations

    Unknown

    Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations

    No

    Range Description

    Ectopistes migratorius was found in forest in eastern and central Canada and the USA, occasionally wandering south to Mexico and Cuba. Over the 19th century, the species crashed from being one of the most abundant birds in the world to extinction (Schorger 1955). The last wild bird was shot in 1900, and surveys in 1910-1911 failed to record any (Blockstein and Tordoff 1985). The last captive bird died in 1914 in the Cincinnati Zoo (Wilcove 1989).


    Population

    Current population trend

    Unspecified

    Number of mature individuals

    0

    Population severely fragmented

    No

    Continuing decline of mature individuals

    Unknown

    Extreme fluctuations

    No

    No. of subpopulations

    Continuing decline in subpopulations

    Unknown

    Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations

    No

    All individuals in one subpopulation

    No

    No. of individuals in largest subpopulation

    Description

    None remain.

    Habitat and Ecology

    System

    Habitat type

    Forest

    Generation length (years)

    5.3 years

    Congregatory

    Movement patterns

    Full Migrant

    Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat

    Unknown

    Habitat and Ecology

    It was a nomadic species, breeding and foraging in vast flocks millions of birds strong. It exploited seasonally available crops of beechmast, acorns and chestnuts; scouting for food sources and infomation sharing was likely to have required flocks of a certain critical size, below which survival would be compromised. Birds nested in April or May in vast colonies typically 16 by 5 km in size.


    Classification scheme

    HabitatsSuitabilityMajor importance
    1. Forest1.4. Forest - TemperateSuitableYes

    Threats

    Agriculture & aquaculture

    • Annual & perennial non-timber crops

    Biological resource use

    • Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals

    Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases

    • Viral/prion-induced diseases

    Threats

    The precise cause of its extinction is difficult to determine, but the widespread clearance of the hardwood trees which provided its mast food, and the proliferation of the rail network and telegraph system which enabled efficient location of nesting colonies and the transport of young birds to market are probably the two single most important factors. Other important factors were excessive shooting, Newcastle disease, and towards the last of their years, the breakdown of social facilitation (Halliday 1980, Blockstein and Tordoff 1985, Bucher 1992).

    Classification scheme

    ThreatsTimingStressesScopeSeverityImpact scoreInvasive speciesVirus
    2. Agriculture & aquaculture2.1. Annual & perennial non-timber crops2.1.3. Agro-industry farmingPast, Unlikely to Return
    1. Ecosystem stresses1.1. Ecosystem conversion
    1.2. Ecosystem degradation
    		Whole (>90%)Very Rapid DeclinesPast Impact
    5. Biological resource use5.1. Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals5.1.1. Intentional use (species is the target)Past, Unlikely to Return
    2. Species Stresses2.1. Species mortality
    		Whole (>90%)Very Rapid DeclinesPast Impact
    8. Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases8.5. Viral/prion-induced diseases8.5.2. Named speciesPast, Unlikely to Return
    2. Species Stresses2.1. Species mortality
    		Majority (50-90%)Rapid DeclinesPast ImpactNewcastle Disease Virus (NDV)

    Use and Trade

    Food - human

    Local: ✔
    National: ✔
    International: ✘

    Use and Trade

    Conservation Actions

    In-place research and monitoring

    • Action Recovery Plan : No
    • Systematic monitoring scheme : No

    In-place land/water protection

    • Conservation sites identified : No
    • Occurs in at least one protected area : No
    • Invasive species control or prevention : No

    In-place species management

    • Successfully reintroduced or introduced benignly : No
    • Subject to ex-situ conservation : No

    In-place education

    • Subject to recent education and awareness programmes : No
    • Included in international legislation : No
    • Subject to any international management / trade controls : No

    Conservation Actions

    Conservation actions classification scheme

    Conservation Actions NeededNotes

    Research classification scheme

    Research NeededNotes

    Bibliography

    Blockstein, D. E.; Tordoff, H. B. 1985. Gone forever: a contemporary look at the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. American Birds 39(5): 845-851.

    Bucher, E. H. 1992. The causes of extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. Current Ornithology 9: 1-36.

    Halliday, T. R. 1980. The extintion of the Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius and its relevance to contemporary conservation. Biological Conservation 17: 157-167.

    IUCN. 2019. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2019-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 December 2019).

    Schorger, A. W. 1955. The Passenger Pigeon: its natural history and extinction. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, USA.

    Wilcove, D. 1989. In memory of Martha and her kind. Audubon 91: 52-55.

    External Data

    Images and External Links

    iNaturalist.org observations

    Search sites for species

    GooglePicSearchCalPhotosFishBaseBirdLife InternationalNatureServe ExplorerGBIF - Global Biodiversity Information Facility Encyclopedia of LifeCatalogue of Life (Species2000)

    CITES Legislation from Species+

    Data Source

    The information below is from the Species+ website.

    Studies and Actions from Conservation Evidence

    Data Source

    The information below is from the Conservation Evidence website.

    Search terms: "Ectopistes migratorius", "Columbidae"

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