Moving north and across to the Pacific, our next species is the Socorro dove (Zenaida graysoni). These pigeons were once found on the island of Socorro, off the west coast of Mexico.
Socorro doves are familiar looking birds, closely resembling their common relative the mourning dove. They are more terrestrial than their relatives, with longer legs, and are also less social, only appearing in pairs and family groups during the breeding season. Due to a lack of native mammalian predators, the doves exhibit island tameness. They were frugivores, likely acting as important seed-dispersers for the local flora.
Sheep were introduced to the island of Socorro in the 1850s, which majorly impacted the vegetation of the island, putting stress on the dove populations. The main catalyst of their extinction, however, came in the 1950s: a military base was built on the island, which introduced feral cats to the ecosystem. As is always the case when cats run wild where they aren't native, bird populations sharply declined. By 1983, the doves were declared extinct.
Fortunately for the Socorro dove, a group of the birds were captured for aviculture in the 1920s, which provided a base for captive breeding and reintroduction efforts in the latter portion of the century. Sheep have been cleared from the island, and efforts to remove and control cats are underway. Currently, the Socorro dove population is 156, and reintroduction plans are being made. Maybe within our lifetimes, these charismatic birds will coo over their island home once again.
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