When Bird Hats Were A Thing

Back in the Victorian era, women particularly loved large hats. Large hats covered bald spots on their heads, and also gave their faces shade while keeping their heads warm. Finer hats in their era were made out of feathers, and some hats had an entire bird on there. As a result, around 1875 and the early 1900s, large numbers of bird species, even species that were almost extinct, would be killed by hunters. Egrets, owls, chickens, and some other rare birds we don’t see today were mostly killed during that period (“Vintage Portraits”).

The species that suffered most during this period of hunting were the passenger pigeons. Although they were mostly killed for food, their tail feathers were great fashion statements that people valued. Passenger pigeons flew in flocks, which made them easy to be shot down and netted. Compared to the basic grey pigeons we see today around parks and streets, passenger pigeons are relatively better looking. They have small heads and necks, nice tails and feathers adapted to fly long distances, and strong wings. Most passenger pigeons have feathers with attractive colors; instead of a greyer hue like most pigeons, they have bluish-grey feathers around their body and orange feathers around their neck that stretch onto their stomachs. Unfortunately, passenger pigeons’ populations decreased dramatically near the end of the 1800s, and people from the Victorian era certainly didn’t put in any effort to preserve the species. On September 1st, 1914, the last passenger pigeon died from imprisonment and confinement (“Vintage Portraits”).

With this mass extinction and dramatic decrease in bird populations, it was brought to people’s attention that they needed to take action.

Killing animal species, especially those that are almost extinct, for fashion or any purpose is morally wrong and strongly opposed in today’s society. Looking back at this style trend, killing millions of birds for hat decoration is completely illogical. However, according to Lisa Wade, a professor of sociology at Occidental College, during the period of the bird hat trend, people didn’t think the bird hat population would decrease so fast dramatically, much less making species of birds go extinct, so they continued preying on birds for their own selfish reasons. People thought birds were abundant species with a dense population. Nonetheless, in a decade, millions of birds were killed. Because mother birds would be killed for hats or food, the baby birds had trouble. They would rest in their nests, orphaned, and eventually die of starvation. Clearly, without these baby birds, the bird population had a hard time increasing. This vicious cycle would continue on and on. Ornithologists, zoologists who specialize in bird studies, estimated that 67 birds, and their subspecies, were at risk of extinction (Wade).

With this mass extinction and dramatic decrease in bird populations, it was brought to people’s attention that they needed to take action. A “feather boycott was organized by the Massachusetts Audubon Society” (Wade). While this boycott’s effect came to society’s satisfaction, the politicians were dismayed since the boycott caused a loss of jobs. However, despite the politicians’ protest, the Massachusetts Audubon Society pushed its way through and passed the Lacey Act of 1900. The Lacey Act of 1900 is “the first federal law protecting wildlife, preventing the spread of invasive, nonnative, species” (“Lacey Act”). In 2008, the Lacey Act was extended to protect the wildlife forest and trees, including illegal logging and other imports. Because people advocated for the protection of birds, it sparked resistance in the killing of the species which later extended to protection for animals and plants for the greater good to protect all wildlife.

Birds are an integral part of the ecosystem. They act in the role of important pollinators, and farmers strongly rely on their droppings as fertilizers for their crops as nutrient essentials for plant growth (“Importance''). Thus, without birds, humans and the ecosystem would be in danger.

Consequently, the raised awareness of women’s obsession with bird hats led to more than just feather preservation, but an expansion of awareness into resistance in all wildlife and endangered species. “We can all take a cue from the ladies that spearheaded this movement. When they found out about the inhumane practices, they made an effort to spread the message and used their influence to make a stance” (“Wearing The Weight”). This should motivate us to help to preserve our own environment, whether it starts with just conserving paper or energy. Most of all, we should be protecting birds for they play an essential role in our ecosystems.

References

“Vintage Portraits of Women Wearing Bird Hats From the Early 20th Century.” Vintage Everyday. 18 Jan. 2021. www.vintag.es/2020/08/bird-hats.html. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

Wade, Lisa. “The Bird Hat Craze That Sparked A Preservation Movement.” Pacific Standard, 14 Jun. 2017. psmag.com/social-justice/bird-hat-craze-sparked-preservation-movement-92745. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

“Lacey Act.” U.S Fish & Wildlife Service. www.fws.gov/international/laws-treaties-agreements/us-conservation-laws/lacey-act.html. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

“Wearing The Weight Of The World.” Blogs@NTU. blogs.ntu.edu.sg/hp3203-2017-27/a-brief-history/birds-on-hats/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

“Importance Of Birds.” Flexbooks 2.0. 2 June 2020. flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-middle-school-life-science-2.0/section/10.19/primary/lesson/importance-of-birds-ms-ls/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.