Band-tailed Pigeon: Wilderness Bird At Risk

by Worth Mathewson

As journalist Mathewson points out, band-tailed pigeons have lost too much of their natural habitats, and as a result the population of his favorite hunting bird has fallen precipitously. Mathewson writes of his personal relationship with the band-tailed pigeon as a frame to his information about its habits and the questions rising about its survival in an increasingly hostile environment. His text is lovingly illustrated with photographs and illustrations by David Hagerbaumer. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

183 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[rainydaybakery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the Band-tailed Pigeon, the closest living relative of the superstar Passenger Pigeon, and overall it did not disappoint me. Beyond the basic ecology of this pigeon, the book is mainly about the population decline crisis the species faced in the second half of the twentieth century, and about the author’s efforts to fight for it as a conservationist hunter.

There really are some striking parallels with the Passenger Pigeon here: massive hunting at mineral springs, the old two-eggs-per-nest myth, and the general difficulty of fitting this bird into any stable protection system. Sometimes it was the state’s problem, sometimes the federal government’s, and if not for the author’s campaigning, neither was especially interested in taking charge. Unlike waterfowl, pigeons do not move in a predictable migratory pattern. This nomadic habit make them hard to manage, which too caused people hard to believe the decline of the "Wild Pigeon".

The book is neat and concise. In over a hundred pages, there is very little waste. The author does not play up the idea that hunters “love” their quarry, but from everything he did for the Band-tailed Pigeon, the feeling is clearly there. He stresses the difference between a hunter and a shooter, and sees himself as the former. Still, from the bird’s side, I felt the ecological writing was not perfectly full enough, perhaps not enough for the life this species has lived, and for what the author himself went through for it.

By the end of this book, the author seems far from optimistic, and there is a kind of tragic dignity in that mood of doing what must be done even when the outcome is uncertain. Still, from the latest IUCN reports, the population seems stable, perhaps even increasing. I can only pray for a future on earth for this magnificent pigeon.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty much broken into two parts. One was an overview of the band-tailed pigeon in North America, its habits in regards to breeding, nesting, feeding, and migration. Very nice summary of the species and I learned a lot about them.

The second part was a really thorough snapshot of a period of time (1960ish-1980 or so with a heavy focus on the 80s) during which band-tails were over hunted and under regulated.

I really enjoyed this book and the further expansion of my knowledge of the species.