Extinction or Extirpation?

Joe Meche is a member of the board of directors of the North Cascades Audubon Society and is in his ninth year as editor of the chapter newsletter. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of the Washington Brant Foundation. He has been photographing birds and landscapes for over 30 years and has been watching birds for more than 50 years.

The great community of birdwatchers and biologists, if not the rest of the world, was stunned on April 27 with the news that an ivory-billed woodpecker had been seen in northeastern Arkansas. At least seven confirmed sightings were later reported. Why the big deal over a woodpecker in Arkansas? Quite simply, the ivory-billed woodpecker was last seen in northeast Louisiana in 1943, and was thought to be extinct—a victim of the destruction of its prime habitat at the hand of humans.

Subsequent to that last confirmed sighting, unconfirmed reports came in from several locations throughout its original range and even from Cuba. The consensus always was that those sightings were probably of the look-alike, albeit smaller pileated woodpecker. Extensive searches have taken place over the past 62 years to determine if the ivory-bill was still around, to no avail.

Just a few years ago, in 1999, a hunter in southeast Louisiana reported that he had observed a pair of ivory-bills, and yet another search was underway in January of 2002—this time funded by Carl Zeiss Optics. This 30-day search was supported by a variety of organizations and agencies, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

While this search found suitable habitat and even a few clues that might indicate the presence of the bird, not a single confirmed sighting was reported. In the mostly impenetrable wilderness swamps of the type favored by ivory-bills, many believed that the bird could still exist. And, lo and behold, on April 28, 2005, a formal announcement was made to tell the world that the ivory-bill had been rediscovered—after 62 years of “extinction!” This is truly spectacular news for many reasons. A bird once thought to be extinct has managed to survive life on the brink, for more than 60 years! While this phenomenal story plays out, keep in mind that this return from the brink is a biological long shot.

For any number of reasons, many species of animals have become extinct. Dinosaurs became extinct by what many consider to be a natural event of a cataclysmic scale. On the other hand, humans have been the primary cause of extinction, or near extinction, of many species. It is common knowledge and a shameful part of the history of the American westward movement, for instance, to think that we came very close to annihilating the buffalo, or American bison, whose numbers were estimated to be somewhere between 60 and 100 million.

Many birds of prey were imperiled by the use of DDT and it was only the banning of this pesticide that saved them. Large wading birds were butchered for their plumes at the turn of the last century and were most likely facing their demise before being rescued by early conservationists. Other species were not so fortunate and succumbed to the heavy hand of man. While extinction can be the end result of habitat deterioration or outright loss, or the introduction of predators, many species have succumbed to greed in the form of egregious over-hunting and outright slaughter.

Some extinctions of note have been the heartbreaking losses of the passenger pigeon, the Labrador duck and the great auk. These were “heartbreaking losses,” considering the incomprehensible numbers of passenger pigeons, the beauty and uniqueness of the Labrador duck and the passive nature of the great auk, also known as the northern penguin. In addition to the character of these losses is the fact that humans played a direct role in the demise of these species.

A flock of passenger pigeons observed by Alexander Wilson in the early 1800s was estimated to number 2.2 billion birds! He admitted that this might have been a conservative estimate, given that the flock was almost a mile wide and extended for 240 miles! At one time, these wild pigeons made up from 25 to 40 percent of the bird population of eastern and central North America, numbering between three and five billion birds. Writings of early ornithologists reflect the awe inspiring spectacle that at times could literally block out the sun. Passenger pigeons were very beautiful birds that moved in waves and were considered to be the most numerous bird species on the entire planet.

As the North American continent began to open to settlers, passenger pigeons became pests to early farmers whose crops were in jeopardy, so destruction of the pest species was the only answer. Farmers used whatever means were available to protect their crops, including nets, noisemakers and scarecrows. The ultimate means of control was the gun, and what began as a means of crop protection quickly became a livelihood since hunters could earn more by shooting pigeons than they could by farming. Shooting pigeons as a means of subsistence and protecting crops didn’t pose a significant threat to the incredible numbers of pigeons. However, market hunting sealed the fate of these beautiful birds

The hunting became industrialized and, at times, thousands of men would enter nesting colonies and roosts to slaughter birds. The emergence of the railroad and the telegraph played large parts in this destructive scenario since it enabled the shooters to cover more ground and know where their prey was flying or roosting. The railroads also made it possible to supply the markets more quickly. Considering the times and the ways of man, the natural progression was that pigeon shooting would also become a sport, and such was the case.

The annihilation of the passenger pigeon was a classic example of the uncontrolled madness of habitat destruction and over-hunting. Settlers cleared the forests that the birds relied on for roosting and nesting, and subsistence hunting turned into market hunting. Added to this was sport shooting of a species that was thought to be inexhaustible—in much the same way that some view the supply of fossil fuels today. The last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.

The Labrador duck, in direct contrast to the passenger pigeon, was considered a rare species when it was first discovered. This duck was found only in the offshore waters of northeastern North America and was the first in a long line of species to disappear under the onslaught of European settlers. Extinction of this species is shrouded in mystery, as is much of its life history since there was little opportunity to study this lovely duck before it disappeared.

Also known as the pied duck, the sand shoal duck—in reference to the areas it favored—and the skunk duck—because of its black and white plumage—the Labrador duck was never very numerous and even its nests and eggs were unknown to scientists. John James Audubon found it to be a shy bird, and “difficult to approach.”

Hunting for meat markets was considered a death knell for many species, even though the consensus was that the Labrador duck was not quite a desirable delicacy. The habit of gunners in those days, however, was to shoot anything and everything, regardless. The over-harvest of other birds and eggs on their breeding grounds was a disruptive influence, and pollution and human alterations to the entire ecosystem of the northern Atlantic coast had a deleterious effect on the primary food sources of the species. The last reported observation of a Labrador duck was in 1875.

No species of animal has been as much a symbol of the destruction of the Earth and its life forms as the great auk. The number of great auks in prehistoric times is thought to have been in the millions. The bird flourished in the North Atlantic Ocean and ranged from as far south as today’s Florida coast and northeastern North America to Greenland, Iceland and the Scandinavian countries. The great auk was a bird of the open ocean and came to land only to breed, and they nested in colonies on isolated offshore islands. The largest documented colony contained 100,000 pairs of birds. The great auk is considered to be the “original penguin” and, even though flightless, a powerful swimmer.

Many particulars about the great auk are speculative since the species was extinct long before naturalists began systematic studies of animals. Ships’ logs, however, painted an accurate portrait of the bird and how they were easy prey for seamen and market hunters. Stories abound of sailors “herding” flocks of birds and “driving” them up planks and onto waiting boats. Once onboard, the auks were clubbed to death and salted down for market or the ships’ stores. Nests were raided and the eggs were easy pickings once the adults had been forced away.

Evidence has proven that natives of the region relied on this large bird as a part of their diet, and subsistence hunting had little adverse impact on their numbers. Again, it was the appearance of the larger sailing ships and crews that began to cut into the breeding populations and led to their demise. The last confirmed sighting of the great auk was of a pair of adults, which were captured and killed by collectors. The pair had one egg, which it was incubating at the time.

Aside from the dinosaurs, the distasteful history of extinction can be laid clearly at the feet of modern man. The recent discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker—a species previously thought to be lost—comes with a glimmer of hope. This discovery offers an opportunity to take a long, hard look at how we coexist with the fellow inhabitants of the planet. We can take some sense of enjoyment from this discovery, but we need to do it from afar and let the ivory-bill stage a comeback in peace.

Unbridled avarice has brought about the destruction of numerous ecosystems and the demise of countless species, and this behavior paints a less than enviable portrait of the most advanced member of the animal kingdom. The extinction of species is the embodiment of the wasteful ways of humans. We shall wait to see if the ivory-billed woodpecker will become the symbol of a new attitude or just a continuation of the same reckless behavior.

Globally, we are witnessing critical stages of overpopulation, deforestation and the over-consumption of fossil fuels and other natural resources. We are polluting the planet at an abominable rate and there’s really no end in sight. We are taking far too much and giving back far too little. We watch as the current administration ignores and even attempts to suppress the scientific evidence of global warming and the dire consequences of their arrogant, business-as-usual policies. With the prevalence of this kind of thinking, we can only wonder who will be around to record the extinction of Homo sapiens. §