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

Along with the passenger pigeon we exterminated the great auk, the Carolina parakeet, the Labrador duck and the ivory-billed woodpecker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 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

And by 1914 the last passenger pigeon was dead.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli