The Last Member of This Bird Species Died in Captivity on This Day in 1918
Incas died at the Cincinnati Zoo, leaving behind mysteries over his death, his final resting place and the factors that led to the extinction of the Carolina parakeet
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/headshot/sarah.png)
Prior to the early 1900s, Americans could look into the sky and see small birds adorned with bright green and yellow feathers. They were Carolina parakeets, the only bird in the parrot family native to the eastern United States. For reasons scientists still don’t totally understand, these beautiful and mystical birds went extinct on February 21, 1918. That day marked the death of the last Carolina parakeet in captivity.
Part of the intrigue around the Carolina parakeet is its unusual nature. Parrots are typically native to tropical and subtropical climates rather than the continental U.S. However, bird lovers around the country reported sightings as far as Texas and upstate New York.
Over time, though, these sightings dwindled. The last confirmed wild member of the species was killed in Florida in 1904, leaving just a few treasured birds in captivity. Incas, the final of his kind, died on February 21, 1918, at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The Cincinnati Zoo had purchased Incas and 15 other birds in 1885 for $40, in hopes of saving the declining Carolina parakeet population. Incas was mated to a parakeet named Lady Jane and died just a year after her passing.
Unfortunately for the species and for conservationists, Incas and Lady Jane were not model parents. Although Lady Jane laid many eggs during her 32-year partnership with Incas at the zoo, the duo kicked and pushed the eggs out of their nest before they hatched. It’s unclear if zookeepers ever tried to save these eggs.
Adding to the Carolina parakeet mystery is not only the cause of death of Incas—with possible explanations including illness, old age and heartbreak over the death of Lady Jane—but also the unclear reasons the population went extinct. Scientists now believe that a confluence of factors ultimately brought about their demise.
Large swaths of forest in the eastern U.S. had been cut down, and milliners sought out the parakeet’s bright feathers for women’s hats. Farmers also played a role in the extinction, killing the birds that many saw as pests. Given the uncertainty over the reasons behind the extinction, scientists didn’t declare the Carolina parakeet officially extinct until 1939.
Some bird watchers claimed to spot members of the species in the wild as late as 1955, but experts at the American Ornithologists’ Union dismissed those sightings, surmising observers actually saw a different species of non-native parakeets.
But in the future, scientists hope Americans may see the Carolina parakeet once again. That’s because the species is one of many on a list prioritized for eventual de-extinction, a process that may one day recreate the parakeets using preserved genetic materials.
As for Incas, the tragic figure has left bird lovers with one final mystery. The Cincinnati Zoo had promised to send his body to the Smithsonian to display. However, he never arrived, and his final resting place remains unknown.
