Whatever the reason, it is clear that the passenger pigeon did not have a viable population when commercial hunting ceased. Although commercial hunting did not directly kill the last passenger pigeon, it sent the species into an extinction vortex from which it could not recover. Passenger pigeons were one of the most important food resources for numerous carnivores, such as foxes, lynx, raccoons, marten and mink, and for several raptors, such as falcons and hawks. One of the things that died with the passenger pigeon was the phenomenon of its migration, the endless sea of birds blackening the sky. Even if the passenger pigeon had survived as a species, this impressive phenomenon could not have continued without the huge number of birds that existed in the early 1800s.
Many people see the rock dove, a relative of the passenger pigeon, every day in American cities.
Some would say there are far too many of them, especially when looking for a clean park bench to sit on. All Rights Reserved.