The demise of the PP is an interesting and tragic thing. It was not over-hunting that did it, as many assume. That ended up bieng a minor part of it.It was mostly loss of nesting habitat and their inability to adapt to a changing world as man entered their area. They would migrate in such tremendous numbers that they were like a flock of feather locust.
In part it was the PP themselves who did it to themselves. Their numbers were so great, almost beyond our comprehension, that they were a flying plague where ever they went or roosted. Their food consumption needs required them to fly miles every day when on the nest with young. They would strip the local area of all food within days and need to fly further and further out each day in search of food. Then their parenting skill were so different than a caring nurturing system. In the end they abandoned their young shortly before they would be able to fly. Perhaps the need to find food just over whelmed the impulse to nurture the young. Survival of the fittest PP only. After use the roost areas would take years to fully recover. It was noted on one roost area there was not a single stick or twig found on the ground in the entire forest as every last one of them had been used to build nest. The bird droppings were quite thick and could cause a die off of all vegetation in many areas until it would decay over time.
It is all so sad. What made them unique also contributed to their very demise. High numbers, not millions in a flock but tens of millions in just one flock, gave them protection against predators in the roost and when nesting, but also were such a negative impact on the environment that they were a plague where every they went. A few bad nesting years, weather and crop changes, loss of the virgin forest and the clearing of that same forest all had a part of their demise. Very sad indeed.
