passenger pigeon

American  

noun

1. an extinct pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, once found in great numbers in North America, noted for its sustained migratory flights.

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passenger pigeon British  

noun

1. a gregarious North American pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius: became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century

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Etymology

Origin of passenger pigeon

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

passenger pigeon

Thus the California grizzly joined the passenger pigeon, the most populous bird on earth, on the extinction list.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Vultures have suffered “the fastest collapse of any group of birds on earth,” Mr. Weidensaul writes, “second only to the extinction of the passenger pigeon in terms of the sheer numbers of individuals lost.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

In the 1800s, the sky would routinely grow dark when large numbers of the now-extinct passenger pigeon passed through this popular roosting area in northwestern, Pennsylvania.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 20, 2023

Long before the publication of "The Last Unicorn," the world had already mourned countless species, from the Stellar's sea cow to the fabled passenger pigeon.

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2022

One of the most striking losses was the Carolina parakeet, a lovely, innocuous bird whose numbers in the wild were possibly exceeded only by the unbelievably numerous passenger pigeon.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson