Passenger Pigeons

In 1866, a flock of Passenger Pigeons passing over Ontario was estimated to be one mile wide, 300 miles long, and to contain 3.5 billion birds. In 1914, the very last Passenger Pigeon, called Martha, died in Cincinnati Zoo. A native of eastern North America, the Passenger Pigeon was driven to extinction by a combination of deforestation and intensive hunting. It was the main ingredient of a tourtiére, a meat pie of French-Canadian origin, that was used to feed slaves and poor people. A very sociable bird, it was lured to its death by ‘stool-pigeons’, live individuals tethered to a small wooden stool.