For the past three years, Ive dedicated my leisure time to uncovering the truth behind the age-old question What has become of the wild pigeons? As a businessman with a passion for the great outdoors and a deep appreciation for its wild inhabitants, I cannot help but mourn the tragic extinction of one of America’s most fascinating natural wonders. It’s difficult for those of us from an older generation to fathom that as recently as 1880, the Passenger Pigeon once filled the skies in vast numbers across the Midwest. Tragically, millions were slaughtered during the latter half of the 19th century, with a staggering three million taken from a single region in Michigan in just one year. The American public has been wasteful, but it seems we are finally beginning to understand the importance of conserving the gifts that nature has given us. On September 1, 1914, just seven years after the publication of William B. Mershons insightful book, the last known Passenger Pigeon died at the Cincinnati Zoo, marking the end of an era.