# passenger pigeon and RN dove hybrid painting



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Thought this was interesting, I did not know they bred these wild pigeons in captivity...and with a ring neck dove....very pretty...

http://www.ulala.org/P_Pigeon/imgs/Pigeon_Hybrid.JPG


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*I'd never heard of that one*

I can't see the print on this but looks like an Audobon drawing. Where did you find it?

Hard to imagine a RN with a passenger pigeon, big size difference but maybe this did happen somewhere.

It seems that captive breeding of passenger pigeons was thought of alittle too late. The last known living specimen is in the Smithsonian and died around 1914 or 1917 (somewhere in there), was a hen and they never found a mate for her. They named her Martha, perhaps you've heard the story before. There are several in existence that were mounted by taxidermists. Garry Landry in Louisiana actually bought one on ebay. He said it created quite a stir and that some have said he is not allowed to own one and that they are automatically museum property. There are still quite a few in private collections.

Bill


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I found it at this site....if you scroll down they have pics of specimens in collections...I find their story as bad as it is, very interesting..the old stories and how numerouse they were are amazing. I read that some were taken back to England and bred there, but I guess no one kept doing it...I had no idea they had bred some in captivity and cross bred as well....just imagine the sky filled with pigeons passing over for three hours straight.....that was one persons story...and there are more....

http://www.ulala.org/P_Pigeon/Pigeon_Picts.html


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*I checked the site*

Wouldn't you know, it's Garry Landry's site. He breeds alot of doves and cagebirds in Louisiana. I read through it awhile back but the hybrid picture must be new or I missed it before.

The stories of these birds are pretty amazing, that they darkened the sky and passed over for many hours is hard to imagine, and I would think a bit messy. Hard to believe they could go from such great numbers to extinction in such a short period of time.

Bill


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

WOW--beautiful. Thanks for sharing.


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