Question

The extinction of passenger pigeon is due to
A) Increased number of predatory birds
B) Over exploitation by humans
C) Non availability of the food
D) Bird flu virus infection

Answer 1

Passenger pigeon is an extinct species of pigeon that was endemic to North America. They are called so because of their migratory nature. It generally migrates from one place to another in search of food and shelter.

Complete answer:
The earth is the only planet in our solar system that has an immense biodiversity filled with flora and fauna. But nowadays, it is found that the biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities. Presently 12 percent of the bird species, 23 percent of mammal species, 32 percent of amphibians’ species and 31 percent of gymnosperm species across the world face the threat of extinction. Passenger pigeon, scientifically called as Ectopistes migratorius because of their migratory behavior in search of food and predator satiation, gets extinct from this earth due to their over exploitation by humans.

Additional information: Loss of biodiversity is one of the topics of grave concern for all the human beings present on this Earth. Human beings have always been found to be dependent on nature for food and shelter but when the need turns into greed, it leads to the over exploitation of natural resources. Passenger pigeon was one the species of bird which is getting extinct from nature due to their over exploitation by the natives of North America. This is one of the reasons for the loss of biodiversity.
Some other reasons include habitat loss and fragmentation, alien species invasions and co-extinctions of the two species.

Hence,the correct option is ‘B’ i.e. over exploitation by humans.

Note: Passenger pigeon is commercially exploited for its meat by the humans of North America. Its meat was commercialised as cheap food resulting in hunting on a massive scale for many decades. Instead of passenger pigeons, Steller’s sea cow also gets extinct due to the over exploitation of species and many marine fish populations around the world are in line for extinction.