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

The Hall of Extinction and Hope analogizes manmade climate change and habitat destruction to a slow-moving asteroid that has already obliterated species such as the passenger pigeon, dodo and great auk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

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

The passenger pigeon, once the most abundant bird in North America—numbering in the billions—disappeared from the skies in just a few decades because so many people hunted them for sport.

From National Geographic Kids • Dec. 21, 2020

“What happened was that the impact of European contact altered the ecological dynamics in such a way that the passenger pigeon took off.”

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann