Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914, and became a defining symbol of human-caused extinction.

Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio / Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Story

Martha died in 1914 as the last known passenger pigeon after a species once numbering in the billions collapsed.

Her body was preserved at the Smithsonian, making one individual a lasting witness to human-caused extinction.

Martha is archived because extinction is clearer when it has a final named animal.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Martha (passenger pigeon)
• Smithsonian: Martha, the last passenger pigeon
• Wikimedia Commons: Martha passenger pigeon