By popular demand, we sit down to explore the significance and functional role of the passenger pigeon. Join as we dive into the available literature on the history and ecological importance of passenger pigeons, learning how they shaped ecosystems and oak forest dynamics, how these historical disturbances can give insight into our management practices today, what this means for turkeys, and more. 

Resources:

Blockstein, D. E., and H. B. Tordoff. 1985. Gone forever: a contempo-rary look at the extinction of the passenger pigeon. American Birds39:845–851

Ellsworth, J. W., & McCOMB, B. C. (2003). Potential effects of passenger pigeon flocks on the structure and composition of presettlement forests of eastern North America. Conservation Biology, 17(6), 1548-1558.

Hung, C. M., et al. (2014). Drastic population fluctuations explain the rapid extinction of the passenger pigeon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(29), 10636-10641.

Schorger,  A.  W.  1955.  The  passenger  pigeon:  its  natural  history  and extinction. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison

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Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow 

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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak