A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction

The epic story of why passenger pigeons became extinct and what that says about our current relationship with the natural world.

When Europeans arrived in North America, 25 to 40 percent of the continent's birds were passenger pigeons, traveling in flocks so massive as to block out the sun for hours or even days. The downbeats of their wings would chill the air beneath and create a thundering roar that would drown out all other sound. John James Audubon, impressed by their speed and agility...