Neon Ghosts

Tom Glynn-Carney for HOTD S3 promo 🐉

Carolina parakeets were the only parrots native to eastern North America. They had a green body, yellow head, orange face, and flew in noisy flocks across the southeastern US. They ate the fruit in farmers' orchards, and farmers shot them by the thousands. They had a fatal social instinct: when one was shot, the rest of the flock circled back to "mourn" the dead bird, where they could be shot too. Entire flocks could be killed off in single afternoons. In 1885, the Cincinnati Zoo bought 16 of them for $40, hoping to breed enough to save the species. The captive breeding program didn't work, and by 1917, only two were left: a male called Incas and his mate of 32 years, Lady Jane. She died in late summer 1917. The zookeepers said Incas became "listless and mournful" and stopped eating. On February 21, 1918, Incas was found dead in the morning after a cold night. It really makes you wonder what the woods would sound like if their flocks still flew overhead.