This print is dedicated to my Wildlife Conservation professor, Dr Laborde. Laborde’s third lecture this semester was opened with the story of the passenger pigeon. Out of every class I have taken, I have never had to choke back tears at the curriculum taught. This story, as sad as it is, is the reason I pursue what I do.

The passenger pigeon was once the most abundant bird on earth. Lined up beak to tail, it would have wrapped around earth over 22 times. Spanning from border to border on the east coast, the passenger pigeon is a native Louisianian.

Native Americans relied upon them for their resources and took on the responsibility to ensure their abundance. The Passenger Pigeons flew in dense flocks and nested close together- making them easy targets. Natives carefully reduced their limiting factors to adult survival by protecting nests, habitats, and providing them with food. This nurturing created a surplus of over 4 billion birds that could sustainably be harvested.

Despite their efforts and spiritual respect for the bird, the arrival of Europeans resulted in a population decline. As European territories expanded, the demand for pigeon meat increased. With no understanding of their ecology, Europeans hunted and trapped up to 50,000 birds DAILY. They targeted the birds at their most vulnerable- in their dense flocks and nesting grounds.

With the increased demand came more barbaric hunting practices. Punt guns were made to fire a pound of bird shot at a time, killing hundreds in one shot. Birds were suffocated from their trees with burning sulfur. Tree were ignited and nestlings exploded upon hitting the ground while adults retreated to the air in flocks. Airborne, they were shot. Living adult females had their eyes sewn shut and feet nailed to a stool to be used as bait.

Despite the pleas of Native Americans, this grotesque slaughter persisted. By the 1900s, no pigeons remained in the wild. The last passenger pigeon, Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.