A bird that went extinct years ago was recently discovered in Wappingers Falls.

The Passenger Pigeon once flourished in North America. It was heavily hunted for its meat by the Native Americans, but continued to survive until Europeans settled in America and also began to eat the birds. Between hunting and deforestation, the Passenger Pigeon was extinct by the turn of century in 1900.

A. Boris
A. Boris
loading...

Of course, this isn't some miracle of science .The extinct bird is still dead, but it's on display for all to see.

A curious collection of stuffed birds sits in Grinnell Library in Wappingers Falls. Located in the big room upstairs the display sits quietly in the corner, unnoticed to most who wander by. It contains 37 different species of bird, including three hummingbirds, two different kids of owl, a woodpecker and a now-extinct Passenger Pigeon. All of the birds are arranged in branches and perches above a miniature landscape that includes a cute little wooden bridge.

A. Boris
A. Boris
loading...

The display was donated to the library in 1923 by Martense Cornell. No one is quite sure where she got the birds or how they all wound placed in the elaborate display, but all of the species, according to the library, were found locally in the Hudson Valley during the turn of the century.

If you ever have a chance to stop by the Grinnell Library, be sure to check out the extinct bird upstairs. It's sitting in the top right of the display with the rest of the stuffed birds.

 

More From WPDH-WPDA