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

Humans exterminated the passenger pigeon, the great auk and the Carolina parakeet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 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

But the protection was too late for the passenger pigeon, which went extinct in 1914.

From National Geographic Kids • Dec. 21, 2020

One of the most striking losses was the Carolina parakeet, a lovely, innocuous bird whose numbers in the wild were possibly exceeded only by the unbelievably numerous passenger pigeon.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson