Passenger Pigeon

From Encyclopediak

Passenger Pigeon, Pij" un, a bird of the Pigeon Family. It is longer than the domestic pigeon about 17 inches. The male has brown back and wings, the latter spotted with black, and pinkish brown under parts changing to white on the abdomen. The head and neck are bluish-gray and the nape and sides of the head are metallic red or purple the middle feathers of the tail are blackish, changing to white and black, with red and black spots on the outer feathers. The female is slightly smaller and the under parts are brownish and the metallic colors less distinct. The nest is placed in a large tree and is loosely made of sticks. One or two white eggs are laid. The passenger pigeon once ranged from northern British America to Texas, and flocks were so large as to darken the sun. It has been exterminated by persistent hunting.