The Remarkable Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon Provides Lessons for the Future

Air Date:
Heard On University Of The Air

In the course of just 50 years, their numbers went from billions to zero. 2014 brings the hundredth anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon. What actions led to the rapid destruction of one of the most prolific species on earth and what were the weaknesses of the passenger pigeon that made it vulnerable despite its numerical superiority? With modern genetic technology, what are the prospects for recreating the passenger pigeon and what would be the consequences? Guest forest and wildlife ecologist Stanley Temple provides some Lessons from the Passenger Pigeon

Episode Credits

  • Norman Gilliland Host
  • Emily Auerbach Host
  • Stanley Temple Guest

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