According to ornithologists, around 1,500 years ago, approximately 150 species of birds became extinct. The primary causes of extinction have been attributed to hunting and the arrival of mammals such as rats, cats, pigs, and dogs that preyed on their eggs and young.
About 20 species of flightless moas once lived in New Zealand, but by 1400, most of them had become extinct. A few survived until the 1600s. Haast’s eagles, known as the largest eagles in the world, also went extinct due to a lack of food following the disappearance of moas. These eagles hunted with their large talons at speeds of up to 80 km per hour.
The New Zealand quail became completely extinct after the 19th century, around 1875. Frequent hunting, predation by European hunting dogs, and widespread grassland destruction contributed to their extinction.
The famous Auk species existed on Earth for millions of years but became extinct in the mid-19th century. They were hunted for their fat, which was used as lamp oil. During the breeding season, Auks had tails up to 85 cm long and developed white markings above their eyes. These flightless seabirds, similar to penguins, could dive underwater to gather food.
The dodo, a large flightless bird belonging to the pigeon family, did not use its small wings for flight. It consumed fruits and grains with its hooked beak and laid eggs on the ground. The dodo was about the size of a large chicken and became extinct due to human hunting and the introduction of invasive species like pigs and rats.
The passenger pigeon was once the most famous bird in North America. Their population numbered up to five billion, and when they flew in flocks, they darkened the sky. This species became extinct in the 19th century due to excessive hunting by European settlers and habitat destruction.
Aepyornis, also known as the elephant bird, was a three-meter-tall ancestor of the ostrich. It likely became extinct in Madagascar in the 17th century. Aepyornis eggs weighed about ten kilograms, nearly nine times the weight of modern ostrich eggs.
