passenger pigeon

noun

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

Words nearby passenger pigeon

passel, passement, passementerie, passenger, passenger mile, passenger pigeon, passepied, passer, passer-by, passerby, passeriform

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for passenger pigeon

The passenger-pigeon, or wild pigeon of North America, is remarkable for two reasons.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood
The cougar is well-known to frequent the great roosts of the passenger-pigeon, and is fond of the flesh of these birds.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid
Notwithstanding the disparity in size and color, he has certain peculiarities that remind one of the Passenger-pigeon.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 91, May, 1865|Various
We observed the passenger-pigeon and some small fresh-water shells of the species of unios and anadontas.
Personal Memoirs Of A Residence Of Thirty Years With The Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

The horrible stories of the butchery of the fur-seals and the passenger-pigeon need not be recited.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood

British Dictionary definitions for passenger pigeon

passenger pigeon

noun

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

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