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passenger pigeon

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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Origin of passenger pigeon

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for passenger pigeon

Historical Examples of passenger pigeon

  • The passenger-pigeon of America appears in almost equal numbers.

    The Western World

    W.H.G. Kingston

  • We had stumbled upon a feeding-place of the passenger-pigeon (Columba migratoria).

  • The cougar is well-known to frequent the great roosts of the passenger-pigeon, and is fond of the flesh of these birds.

  • The nest of the passenger-pigeon is equally hasty and insufficient, and the squabs often fall to the ground and perish.

    Wake-Robin

    John Burroughs

  • Already the passenger-pigeon and Carolina paroquet, only a few years ago abundant, are practically exterminated.

British Dictionary definitions for passenger pigeon

passenger pigeon

noun
  1. a gregarious North American pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius: became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012