Lists

Nine Birds Famous As Individuals

June 11, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

While birders mostly look at birds on the level of species or subspecies, some are or were famous as indiduals. Here are nine examples.

Martha (Passenger Pigeon) was the last known individual of her species and died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Given that Passenger Pigeons had once formed enormous flocks across North America, her death later came to represent how quickly even very common birds can disappear.

Incas (Carolina Parakeet) died in 1918 at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, only a few years after Martha. As the last known Carolina Parakeet, Incas is remembered as the end of the only parrot species native to the eastern United States.

Wisdom (Laysan Albatross) was banded in 1956 and is believed to be the world’s oldest known wild bird. Decades after most albatrosses would have died, she continues to return to Midway Atoll to breed, turning her into an international symbol of longevity and resilience.

Alex (African Grey Parrot) became famous through the research of Irene Pepperberg. His apparent ability to understand words, colors, numbers, and simple concepts made him one of the best-known birds ever involved in animal intelligence research.

Pale Male (Red-tailed Hawk) became well known for nesting on a Fifth Avenue apartment building in New York City. Over the years, he attracted a large following among birders, residents, and the media, and helped make urban hawks more familiar to the general public.

Nigel (Australasian Gannet) became known as “the loneliest bird” after repeatedly courting concrete decoys at a seabird restoration site in New Zealand. The story received a surprising amount of international media attention and made Nigel briefly famous well beyond the birding world.

Cher Ami (Rock Dove) served as a military messenger pigeon during World War I. Despite being badly injured, Cher Ami managed to deliver a message that helped save members of the so-called “Lost Battalion,” later becoming one of the best-known war pigeons in history.

Canuck (Northwestern Crow) became a local celebrity in Vancouver because of his unusual interactions with people and his habit of stealing objects. His behavior attracted a loyal following and frequent media coverage.

Flaco (Eurasian Eagle-Owl) escaped from the Central Park Zoo and managed to survive in Manhattan for more than a year. His unexpected success living free in New York City turned him into a popular social-media bird and a favorite among many local residents.

Photo: Martha (public domain)

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.