Welcome to Fold the Flock
2014 marked the centennial anniversary of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.
To remember the Passenger Pigeon, join us in folding the great flocks of 100 years ago.
THE EXTINCTION STORY
ANIMATED FOLDING INSTRUCTIONS
Origami Kit
Download Origami (Free)
Print at home on letter-sized (8.5″ x 11″) paper. Folding instructions included. Download the single-sided file in black & white or color.
Join the Flock: Remember to add your number of folded birds to the ongoing tally!
We want to see your origami Passenger Pigeons: Find us on Facebook and share a photo of your folded birds.
About the Passenger Pigeon
At the time of European arrival, Passenger Pigeons accounted for up to forty percent of the land birds of North America. Passenger Pigeons flew in vast flocks, numbering in the billions, sometimes eclipsing the sun from noon until nightfall. Flying sixty miles an hour, they migrated across their geographic range, which stretched from the northeastern and mid-western states and into Canada to the southern states.
In the 19th Century, as American’s urban population grew and the demand for wild meat increased, thousands of men became full-time pigeon hunters. With nesting sites holding unimaginable numbers, hunters slaughtered the birds with great efficiency.
It was inconceivable that in less than fifty years, the Passenger Pigeon would be nearly extinct. On March 24, 1900, a boy in Pike County, Ohio shot the last recorded wild Passenger Pigeon.
Fourteen years later, under the watchful eyes of her keepers, the last captive Passenger Pigeon, Martha, died in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo.
What is Fold the Flock?
Behind the Project
Fold the Flock is an initiative of The Lost Bird Project, an arts-based environmental non-profit that connects people more deeply with the earth through art. We believe that art can touch each of us in a way that ideas and intellect alone cannot. It is our hope that Fold the Flock will encourage further projects and increase sensitivity to the plight of endangered species.
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