Passenger Pigeon

Ectopistes migratorius

Once darkened the skies in billions. The greatest pigeon courier corps that ever existed.

Population: 0 (extinct; 0 mature individuals remain per IUCN); formerly an estimated 3–5 billion individuals, once the most abundant bird in North America and possibly 25-40% of the total US land-bird population
Habitat: Temperate/eastern deciduous forests (used in both breeding and non-breeding seasons); a nomadic species that followed seasonal mast crops (beech, oak, chestnut), with large swamps/alder stands and pine-forested areas used as winter roosting sites
Fun fact: The passenger pigeon went from being possibly the most numerous bird on Earth (est. 3–5 billion) to extinct within about a century; the last known individual, a captive female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914 (the last confirmed wild bird was shot in 1900).
Range: Formerly eastern and central Canada and the USA — bred primarily in the Great Lakes region south to Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Georgia; wintered from Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina south to Texas, the Gulf Coast and northern Florida, with occasional records into Mexico and Cuba
Diet: Beechnuts, acorns, and chestnuts (mast) in fall/winter — capable of eating roughly 100g of acorns/day; berries and soft fruits (e.g. blueberries, grapes) in summer; also worms, caterpillars, and snails, especially during breeding season
Size: 0.4 m
Lifespan: 15 years

More Ghosts of the Past