Dark Canyon in Eddy County, an area rich in
the remains of extinct birds including the
passenger pigeon.
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NEW MEXICO
(Compiled by Joel Greenberg)
New Mexico’s connections to passenger pigeons rest with the discovery of remains at three archeological sites. There are neither historical records nor any specimens in collections.
Dark Canyon Cave in Eddy County has been the site of a number of important discoveries related to avian fossils. Besides a single distal end of a passenger pigeon humerus, remains from the following long extinct birds have been found: an extinct sheldgoose, ancestral condor, western black vulture, American neophron, Swarth falcon, early caracara, an extinct thick-knee, and Conkling roadrunner. The cave is located on a limestone cliff 75 feet above the canyon floor, but is easily reached by foot. It is thought that most of the animals whose remains persist were brought to the sight by predatory mammals or birds.
Sandia Cave is a site near Bernalillo (Sandoval County) that has yielded passenger pigeon remains. Although a National Historic Landmark since 1961 and open to the public, it is difficult to access given its location high on the face of Huertas Canyon in the Sandia Mountains. Humans first began inhabiting the cave at least 12,000 years ago.
Una Vida, in Chaco Canyon, San Juan County, has produced passenger pigeon remains. It is among the earliest known Chacoan Anasazi great houses, going back at least 1,000 years. It was used mainly for ceremonial and political purposes. The area is open to the public and close to the visitor center.
New Mexico Locations Known to Have Passenger Pigeon Skins, Mounts, and or Skeletons
Albuquerque: Museum of Southwest Biology at the University of New Mexico (viewing can be requested by researchers)
Cimarron: Philmont Scout Ranch
Santa Fe: Academy for the Love of Learning
* If an asterisk appears, at least one passenger pigeon is known to be on display; this list is mainly based on Hahn's Where is That Vanished Bird (1963). Please let us know of any changes including additional locations and/or birds on display, name changes of institution, if birds are no longer present, etc.
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