It is always tragic when humans in avertedly cause an animal to become extinct, whether because we didn’t know how limited the population was, destroying habitats or releasing animals that the ecosystem isn’t prepared for. What is intolerable, however, is when a species is rare and humans actively wipe the majority out. In the late 19th century, hunters shot the last flock of the formally abundant Passenger Pigeon, putting one of the last nails in the coffin for the species. While some would survive into the 1900’s, the last member, Martha, would die in 1914, and the bird that once flocked in the millions, one of the most common birds in America, was extinct. As a recent extinction, it was a great choice for Yowie’s Forgotten Friends line. Let’s see how they did!
The colouration here is great here, perhaps a little simplified, but right for the actual animal. The pose is nice, perched on a pole (which may be a nod to the final caged members of the species). There is some articulation, with a little wiggle to the tail feathers and legs. More significantly, the head can spin 360 degrees, giving it more options for posing and grants it more character. It is small, though likely too large to integrate with most lines, measuring 2.6″ long and 1.5″ high.
As you can imagine, accuracy is spot on, as it should be, given it’s a pigeon species. As I said, the colours are a little simpler than the actual animal, which should have more browns and beiges. On the whole, pretty good.
This is, at the time of this writing, the only model of a Passenger Pigeon, but you could certainly do much worse. It is long discontinued, so eBay is your best shot, and I highly recommend it, both for the great representation, and for teaching the world the issues of such a callous attitude to a species.
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The passenger pigeon is certainly a frightening reminder of how destructive we can be when we’re careless. I’m honestly surprised more toys of this animal don’t exist, considering how famous it is.