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antiqueanimals · 2 years

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Passenger pigeons from The Dodo, the Auk, and the Oryx: Vanished and Vanishing Creatures. Written by Robert Silverberg. Illustrated by Jacques Hnizdovsky. 1973.

#recently extinct #birds #passenger pigeons #Jacques Hnizdovsky

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extinctionstories · 1 year

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Enough with these “immersive art” and “immersive cartoon” experiences. I want an immersive extinct animal experience. I want to see life-sized thylacines, and dodos running on a beach. I want to sit on the floor of a warehouse while the sights and sounds of a full flock of passenger pigeons is projected all around me.

#extinct birds #extinct #passenger pigeon #extinction #passenger pigeons

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writerbeemedina · 8 months

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Endling

Today marks the 109th anniversary of the passenger pigeon’s extinction: September 1, 1914. So in honor of Martha, I thought I’d share this short story of what it’s like to be an endling from her perspective. (It won my college’s flash fiction contest!! ^^) It also features the last Carolina parakeets!! Enjoy, and remember an important species with me.

Photo by Robert Shufelt

When Cincinnati Zoo closed its doors for the night, the boys and I would lull ourselves to sleep with stories of our ancestors from the bits we’ve gathered from visitors. Passenger pigeon flocks were so superior, we owned the skies. There were so many of us, we held the very power in our wings to take away the sun from the ground creatures below. The three of us tried to conjure the image of that many passenger pigeons in our brains, but we – and a few others in our enclosure before us – were the only ones we had ever known.

Ever since the boys died, I’ve received more attention than all my years combined. Like picking apart nuts, I’ve plucked information from the restless chitter-chatter of the Featherless: Martha. New mate. Great prize. Last passenger pigeon.

“Oh, congratulations, darling. You’ve officially achieved endling-baby-maker-status,” screeched the female Carolina parakeet living in the cage across from mine one day.

“I beg your pardon?” I said to the bold, green-and-yellow bird.

Incas, her mate, hobbled over to her side of the perch. “Lady Jane, remember what we said about minding our own business?”

As though she hadn’t heard him, she continued, “Those naked beasts have been trying to get us to make babies for decades. So every egg we lay . . . splat! ” Lady Jane threw back her beak and cackled. “The look of hope dying on their faces never gets old.”

Despite the warm weather, a chill rippled through my body from beak to tail.

“What she means is, they’re the reason why we’re the only ones left of our kind. They slaughtered us and used our bodies to decorate their hats. Why should we give them what they want? If this is the end, we want them to never forget what they’ve done to us,” explained Incas.

I was left with quite a bit to think about after that. The very same species that kept my belly full, my cage comfortable, and my health maintained were responsible for exterminating the great passenger pigeon empire with their . . . guns and traps? Surely they weren’t all to blame — I will never forget this one little boy, Richard, who would visit me during the weekends in the summertime, feed me peanuts, and speak to me as if I were his equal.

Even if Featherless weren’t a factor, even if the end of my kind weren’t at stake, I’ve never much cared for chicks of my own. Would it be selfish of me if I remained chickless? Or should I do my duty to nature and try? But then again, would it do any good if I did?

Although, to be honest, I’m getting to be an old girl. Even if I could, I don’t think this frail, tired body would be suitable for laying eggs. We’ll see. But it’s a pretty big world out there. Surely, there must be some other passenger pigeons besides me . . .

Clipping from Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri), 2 September 1914, page 10

#passenger pigeon #passenger pigeons #martha passenger pigeon #endling #recently extinct #extinct species #extinct birds #extinct animals #extinction #short story #short stories #flash fiction friday #flash fiction #flash fic #xenofiction flash fiction #xenofiction short stories

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fictionz · 2 years

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Men still live who, in their youth, remember pigeons; trees still live who, in their youth, were shaken by a living wind. But a few decades hence only the oldest oaks will remember, and at long last only the hills will know.

—Aldo Leopold, “On a Monument to the Pigeon,” 1947

#passenger pigeons #aldo leopold #extinction #audobonsociety

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othmeralia · 2 years

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On This Day in Science History

The passenger pigeon became extinct as the last surviving bird of the colorful native American species of dove died at the Cincinnati Zoo. The passenger pigeon was hunted to extinction; the fact that it traveled and nested in large flocks made it easy to slaughter. The adult male passenger pigeon had grey upper parts, the tips of the wings and the tail were black; its throat was a dark rust, while its breast was a lighter rust; its eyes were red. The adult female was of a duller color, with brownish upper parts and a lighter, brownish throat and breast; its eyes were black.

Citation: Steele, Joel Dorman, and Jenks, J. W. P. (John Whipple Potter). “Figure 261. Passenger Pigeon.” Popular Zoology. New York, New York: Chautauqua Press, 1887.

#passenger pigeons #pigeons #extinct birds #extinct animals #digital collections #cool books #history of science #science history #zoology #birds #birdstagram #Othmer library #othmeralia

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dragon-teapot · 2 years

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The exhibition I helped with has a pair of passenger pigeons as part of the collection on display and I am emotional. I knew they were going to be there but seeing them was something.

#passenger pigeons #i kept forgetting to do stuff and there were problems with communication but its pretty cool #journalling

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stellernorth · 1 year

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desperately googling how to tell passenger pigeons i love them

#passenger pigeons #post i made #extinct animals #thinking about extinct animals lately :( guys we live in a zoo logically impoverished world from which all the mo

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fischotterkunst · 2 years

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one of my coworkers just showed me this Passenger Pigeon belonging to the nature center where we work and im so emotional…ive seen a lot of pigeon specimens but this one is in such pristine condition he looks like he could fly away if i took him out of the glass…if i wasnt at work i would probably be shedding a tear or two right now

this picture is really weird i know but he’s in a very tall cabinet (i had to stand on a chair to see him) and im not allowed to take him out bc he’s too valuable…i hope he goes on display at some point so i can get a better look

#im never gonna stop mourning the loss of these gorgeous birds #river babbles #passenger pigeon #passenger pigeons #extinct animals

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silicon65 · 3 months

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Forgotten Griffin

#digital art #silicon65 #Thylacine #Passenger pigeon

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thegadlingguides · 1 year

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Idea for an extinct species to bring back: Passenger pigeons.

They traveled in huge flocks, and went extinct partly because they were delicious. Think about that.

#passenger pigeons #recent extinction #come on it was less than 200 years #mammoths need cold #passenger pigeons just want seeds and nuts #and will crap them with included premium fertilizer all over the globe

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awkwardbirdsdaily · 4 months

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Its 2024!!! Happy new year, or happy new year's eve depending on where in the world you are.

And a great time to begin a new art challenge. I have a list of extinct birds for january, starting (ofc) with the passenger pigeon. These are such a great representative species for extinct birds imo - they used to be one of the most numerous birds on Earth, numbering in the billions, yet they vanished within a century. So gorgeous too!

As a communally roosting bird, their sheer numbers used to snap even large branches and they often piled on top of each other to roost. And then. Poof. None left.

#artists on tumblr #birds #pigeon #digital art #extinct animals #digital illustration #birdblr #bird art #bird of the day #passenger pigeon #columbiformes

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antiqueanimals · 9 months

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