Heath Hen
(Tympanuchus cupido cupido)
Contrary to popular belief, the bird served at the very first Thanksgiving dinner was very likely not a Wild Turkey, but rather the Heath Hen, which was another prized game bird of that era.
A subspecies of the Greater Prairie-chicken, Heath Hens were common in coastal scrub habitats from Virginia to New Hampshire. Hunting pressure was intense, though, and led to rapid population declines. By 1850, Heath Hens had disappeared from the mainland, but a small population of about 300 remained on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Hunting and habitat loss continued to take a toll, and fewer than 100 birds remained by the turn of the century.
Alarmed by these declines, in 1908 the residents of Martha’s Vineyard enacted a ban on hunting these birds. This worked at first, and Heath Hen populations rebounded to about 2,000 birds in less than 10 years. But 1916 brought a series of disastrous events. First, a fire swept across part of the island and killed most of the population. Soon after, predatory Northern Goshawks moved onto the island, taking many of the surviving birds. Subsequent harsh winters and disease further ravaged the population.
By 1927, only 11 males and 2 females remained. Captive breeding was attempted but failed. By 1928, only a single male remained. This last bird, nicknamed “Booming Ben”, was last seen on March 11, 1932.
The sad story of the Heath Hen offers many lessons, the chief being that conservation efforts sometimes fail. When too few individuals in a population remain, even seemingly minor events–like a small fire, a harsh winter, or the arrival of a few predators–can have devastating effects.
A key to averting extinction is to keep populations large and healthy in the first place. At the same time, the failed efforts to save the Heath Hen have informed later, successful, conservation efforts for other species on the brink.