In the large glass cabinet of the biodiversity exhibition hall on the second floor of the ROM, there is an inconspicuous passenger pigeon sitting alone on a small branch protruding from the side of the white base.
The feathers on the pigeon's head and upper parts are blue-grey, with black spots on the wings. The lower throat and chest are a soft cinnamon rose color. It has a black beak, red irises, and coral-red legs and feet. The overall slender appearance of this pigeon determines its agile, elegant and flexible flight style. Its speed can reach one hundred kilometers per hour.
Passenger pigeons and humans have coexisted for thousands of years. Toronto's Mimico neighborhood comes from the Ojibwe word "Omiimiikaa" (Omimeca), which means "a lot of wild pigeons." Passenger pigeons were a rich food source for many Native Americans in North America. This passenger pigeon was collected in 1870 near Lake Scugog, about 80 kilometers northeast of Tkaronto, or Toronto. This is the territory of the Mississauga First Nation on Scugog Island.
The passenger pigeon is also part of Aboriginal belief systems. The Seneca held pigeon dances and used to offer sacrifices to nesting sites in hopes of attracting more pigeons to enjoy the feast. The Mi'kmaw horoscope also includes the passenger pigeon.
When European settlers arrived in North America, the passenger pigeon population numbered approximately 3 billion. Maybe even as high as 5 billion. So how did a multi-billion species become extinct? While settlers did hunt passenger pigeons for food, they also considered them a huge pest because they could eat a field of corn in just a few minutes.
Settlers began hunting them on a large scale. This, combined with habitat loss from agriculture and development, by the late 1800s, passenger pigeon numbers were in steep decline. Scientists tried to save the species through captive breeding programs. But they can only thrive in giant flocks. The passenger pigeon became extinct in 1914.