passenger pigeon

The passenger pigeon is an extinct bird that was at one time one of the most common birds in North America. The last passenger pigeon died on September 1^st ,1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo.

The male passenger pigeon  was about 42 centimeter long, with a long pointed tail. It had a short black beak. Its eyes and feet were red. The head and the body feathers were gray, while the throat feathers were purple.

Between five and nine billion passenger pigeons lived across eastern North America in the mid-1800s They made up between 25% and 50% of the entire bird population of the United States .They flew sometimes in groups of several millions.

At times the sky was so thick with the birds that they hid the sun. In 1813, a bird watcher  reported seeing a flock of passenger pigeons that took three hours to fly past. He also saw trees collapsing under the weight of the resting birds.

Passenger pigeons lived mainly in forests They ate mostly nuts from the trees. The birds got the name "passenger " because they traveled often to new places to look for food. When the birds rested, they gathered in huge groups, covering areas of up to 75 square kilometers.

The number of passenger pigeons began to decrease in the 1850s.There were several reasons for this. First, many trees were cut down to use as fuel and lumber. And to clear the land for farms. As a result, the passenger pigeon's habitat was destroyed. Second, hunters and farmers killed millions of  birds. Many of the birds were used for food. They were shipped to the cities where they were made into pigeon pies. Farmers hated the birds because they ate their corn and other crops. A final reason for the birds' extinction was that female passenger pigeons laid only one egg each year. So not enough young birds were born each year to make up for the huge numbers being killed.

The last wild passenger pigeon was shot down by a young boy in Ohio on March 24,1900.The species was declared extinct in 1911.

1.Paragraph 2 is  mainly talking about:

a)      the  beauty of the male passenger pigeon

      b) the  description for  the male passenger pigeon

      c) color of the  color of the female passenger pigeon

      d) the feet and the eyes of the male passenger pigeon

2. In the mid-1800s,_________passenger pigeons lived across eastern North America.

     a) 25% 

      b) 75 billion

      c) a maximum of nine billion

      d) between five and nine million.

3. The birds got the name  "passenger pigeon" because _________.

      a) they used to help the passengers

       b) they flocked together like passengers

       c) they gathered in huge groups

       d) they traveled often to new places to look for food

4.The main idea of paragraph 6 is:

     a) the reasons why the passenger pigeons become extinct

      b) the female passenger pigeon laid only one egg a year.

      c) Passenger pigeons flew in groups of millions.

      d) the pigeons cut down many trees to use as fuel

5.The underlined word “ this” in paragraph  # 6 refers to ________.

     a) 1850s               b) the big number of the passenger pigeons

      c) fuel                  d) the decrease in the passenger pigeons

6.What is the main idea of the passage ?

     a) Passenger pigeons were beautiful birds.

     b) Passenger pigeons are extinct although they were in billions.

     c) Passenger pigeons lived mainly in forests.

     d) The number of passenger pigeons began to decrease in the 1850s.