Passenger Pigeon Extinction Factors

The video discusses Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who died in 1914. It highlights the extraordinary extinction of passenger pigeons, which once numbered in the billions in North America. The extinction was primarily due to habitat loss and commercial harvesting for food. Railroads facilitated the transport of harvested birds to major cities, contributing to their decline.

Who was Martha in the context of passenger pigeons?

• The first passenger pigeon to be discovered

• The last passenger pigeon in existence

• A famous naturalist who studied pigeons

• A zookeeper at the Cincinnati Zoo

What made the extinction of passenger pigeons extraordinary?

• Their population was once in the billions

• They were the only bird species to go extinct

• They were the first birds to be transported by rail

• They were never found in North America

What were the primary causes of the passenger pigeon's extinction?

• Predation by other animals

• Climate change and disease

• Lack of food supply

• Habitat loss and commercial harvesting

How did railroads contribute to the extinction of passenger pigeons?

• By destroying their natural habitats

• By providing a means to transport them to cities

• By causing pollution that affected their health

• By introducing new predators