Early life Martha (passenger pigeon)

the stuffed skin of martha in 1921

the history of cincinnati zoo s passenger pigeons has been described arlie william schorger in monograph on species hopelessly confused, , said difficult find more garbled history of martha. accepted version that, turn of 20th century, last known group of passenger pigeons kept professor charles otis whitman @ university of chicago. whitman acquired passenger pigeons david whittaker of wisconsin, sent him 6 birds, 2 of later bred , hatched martha in 1885. martha named in honor of martha washington. whitman kept these pigeons study behavior, along rock doves , eurasian collared-doves. whitman , cincinnati zoo, recognizing decline of wild populations, attempted consistently breed surviving birds, including attempts @ making rock dove foster passenger pigeon eggs. these attempts unsuccessful, , whitman sent martha cincinnati zoo in 1902.

however, other sources argue martha instead descendant of 3 pairs of passenger pigeons purchased cincinnati zoo in 1877. source claimed when cincinnati zoo opened in 1875, had 22 birds in collection. these sources claim martha hatched @ cincinnati zoo in 1885, , passenger pigeons kept not because of rarity of species, enable guests have closer @ native species.