Bonin Woodpigeon and Zifeng Tower

 

Bonin Woodpigeon  : Extinct in 1889

Zifeng Tower : 450m, Nanjing, China

 

 

 

Bonin Woodpigeon and Zifeng Tower_76x57cm_watercolor on paper_2014

 

 

The Bonin wood pigeon indigenous to the Ogasawara Islands south of Japan was first discovered in 1827 during the exploratory voyage of HMS Blossom of the British Royal Navy. The pigeon had no fear or wariness of humans and was docile enough that it would keep still when caught. The Bonin wood pigeon population decreased rapidly as a result of deforestation for development and excessive hunting. Cats brought by voyageurs and large rats thrived on the island, which threatened the Bonin wood pigeons with extinction. The last sighting of the Bonin wood pigeon was in 1889 on Nakodo-jima, Japan. So docile and gentle, the pigeon became extinct only sixty years after it was discovered, and resides only as mounted specimens in three museums of natural history, in London, St. Petersburg, and Frankfurt.