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Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

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Re: Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

#3
The problem with the Passenger Pigeon is that it was very common everywhere, and its behavior came to rely on this fact. An individual will leave its flock and just assume it can find a new flock. Once the population level dropped below a critical threshold, it was doomed.

The Rusty Blackbird has much the same problem, and the fear is that it may have now dropped below its threshold.

Re: Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

#5
I saw Ben Novak talk at the Interval last year.

He mentioned that a few animals have been resurrected in a slightly different way already. Eg. the Red Factor Canary was resurrected by breeding a Domestic Canary and a Red Siskin. Apparently the offspring had enough geno/phenotypic resemblance to the original Red Factor Canary that this newly created lineage was given that original name.

Re: Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

#7

No need, carrier-capable pigeons still exist. My family here in China keeps pigeons and they are known to fly at least 1000km or so to return to their roost. Beats using insecure devices with nominal encryption! No passports needed to cross borders, either.

So, you didn't actually read the article?

The "Passenger Pigeon" is a specific breed, and not just a generic term for a pigeon that will carry messages.

Re: Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

#9

I'll leave this here. https://flypigeon.co

The article is not about carrier pigeons, but about the passenger pigeon. This is a North American species of pigeon famous for the huge size of its flocks, large enough to darken the skies on a sunny day. It was commercially overhunted to extinction by the early 20th century, a famous example of extinction.

Re: Can We Bring Back the Passenger Pigeon?

#10

No need, carrier-capable pigeons still exist. My family here in China keeps pigeons and they are known to fly at least 1000km or so to return to their roost. Beats using insecure devices with nominal encryption! No passports needed to cross borders, either.

So, you didn't actually read the article? The "Passenger Pigeon" is a specific breed, and not just a generic term for a pigeon that will carry messages.

Understandable perspective. Actually I did, I just felt the clickbait title and reality outside of what-if-science was more interesting.
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