Passenger Pigeons Vanished Despite Billions

Passenger pigeons once numbered an estimated 3 to 5 billion across North America. People caught up to 800 at a time in large nets, while shooting contests used the birds as targets; one competition required 30,000 kills to win. Hunting and deforestation drove a rapid decline in the late 1800s. The last known bird, Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.

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