4 ms·

The Passenger Pigeon lived in an environment where flocks were found everywhere. An individual pigeon could safely "wander off" and find a new flock. Once the p

by cjensen 12y ago

The Passenger Pigeon lived in an environment where flocks were found everywhere. An individual pigeon could safely "wander off" and find a new flock. Once the population level descended below a critical level, the species was doomed. In order to bring them back, you would need to breed them by the millions before releasing them. A more practical worry is the Rusty Blackbird, which has declined fast in recent decades and may be headed the way of the Passenger Pigeon.

crygin 12y ago
That's commonly cited as fact, but the truth is we don't know that they required large flocks to survive (deforestation is another possibility). Charles Mann points out in his book 1491 that e.g. DeSoto didn't report large groups, and hypothesizes that the enormous flocks of the 1800s are an aberration due to wide-scale crop production.
- yareally 12y ago
  Another theory is that the decline of Native Americans led to the boom in the numbers of passenger pigeons (since many Eastern Tribes considered them a primary food source). However, the nesting habits and mating rituals of birds in general are complex and subject to change (such as purple martins traditionally living under cliffs and in caves to now living almost entirely in man made boxes). It may have been true that passenger pigeons did not travel in large flocks when DeSoto was exploring the Mississippi in the 16th Century, but events between then and the extinction of the species may have altered their behavior. However, if the species is brought back, there is always the chance their behavior may change again (as it may have before) and large flocks may not be a requirement for their survival anymore. That trait was likely passed on through shared behavior and likely would not affect newborn pigeons with no existing relatives. Also the fact that there have been huge advancements in genetics and breeding of animals since the attempts of saving them in the early 20th century.
  - gadders 12y ago
    I think the most amazing change of habitat for a bird is the Rock Dove [1], otherwise known as the pigeon that you find in cities everywhere. Their original habitat was rocky cliffs and coastlines. [1]https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/r/rockdove/ https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandle...

by cjensen 12y ago

crygin 12y ago

That's commonly cited as fact, but the truth is we don't know that they required large flocks to survive (deforestation is another possibility). Charles Mann points out in his book 1491 that e.g. DeSoto didn't report large groups, and hypothesizes that the enormous flocks of the 1800s are an aberration due to wide-scale crop production.

yareally 12y ago
Another theory is that the decline of Native Americans led to the boom in the numbers of passenger pigeons (since many Eastern Tribes considered them a primary food source). However, the nesting habits and mating rituals of birds in general are complex and subject to change (such as purple martins traditionally living under cliffs and in caves to now living almost entirely in man made boxes). It may have been true that passenger pigeons did not travel in large flocks when DeSoto was exploring the Mississippi in the 16th Century, but events between then and the extinction of the species may have altered their behavior. However, if the species is brought back, there is always the chance their behavior may change again (as it may have before) and large flocks may not be a requirement for their survival anymore. That trait was likely passed on through shared behavior and likely would not affect newborn pigeons with no existing relatives. Also the fact that there have been huge advancements in genetics and breeding of animals since the attempts of saving them in the early 20th century.
- gadders 12y ago
  I think the most amazing change of habitat for a bird is the Rock Dove [1], otherwise known as the pigeon that you find in cities everywhere. Their original habitat was rocky cliffs and coastlines. [1]https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/r/rockdove/ https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandle...