Nature Conservancy – Safe Flight: 100 Years of Protecting Birds, By David Mehlman, Illustrated by Teagan White
“While millions of people in the United States now call themselves bird-watchers, our popular fascination with birds once had more to do with gunning them out of the sky than adding them to a life list. In the late 1800s, wildfowl was regularly served in both fancy restaurants and humble homes. Flamboyant plumage—and even entire stuffed birds—sprouted from the hats of fashionable women. Scientists were more concerned with collecting specimens than teasing out the delicate threads of avian ecology. Migratory birds were especially vulnerable to hunters because they tended to congregate in large groups, making it easy to kill many at once. But as entire species such as Labrador ducks and passenger pigeons were annihilated, public opinion began turning toward revulsion. Audubon societies formed in cities across the country, newspaper headlines decried “millinery murder,” and well-to-do ladies hung up their egret-trimmed hats in favor of more humane fashions. Even some sportsmen recognized the need for restrictions to prevent their pastime from joining the ranks of the extinct. A number of state laws aimed to curb the slaughter, but conservationists pushed for federal and international regulations. Meanwhile, commercial hunters, game dealers and gun manufacturers who profited from unfettered bird bagging formed groups to fight such laws…”