Correction, the passenger pigeon on display in Gatlinburg, TN. is a male and is from 1856. It has been kept in the park's natural history collection. The article with it tells the story of Martha, the last passenger pigeon in existence that was kept at the Cincinnati Zoo. The pigeons went from billions to extinct in a relatively short time due to shooting and robbing nests for the young birds which were considered a delicacy. Hard to imagine that happened. Sept. 1 was the anniversary of the death of the last pigeon, Martha.
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