The Heath Hen – An Extinct Bird of Martha’s Vineyard

Until last fall, I had never heard of the heath hen–that was, until a friend mentioned it in a conversation about sporting books. I sheepishly mumbled something equivalent to a nod and smile back to him over the phone as I scrambled to make a note–‘Google the heath hen’. I could tell by his tone that there was something to the story, and over the next few weeks, I found myself further and further down the heath hen rabbit hole. Their story is one of part science and part legend, remaining a cultural icon on Martha’s Vineyard to this day.

Background

During colonial times, the heath hen, a subspecies of the prairie chicken, in the grouse family, made its home in coastal habitats from Maine to the Carolinas. However, with the ever-growing numbers of European settlers came increased hunting pressure. Additionally, the wildfires that had kept the coastal headlands free of large vegetation for thousands of years were largely eliminated, altering the preferred habitat of the heath hen. By 1870, heath hens had completely vanished from the mainland, remaining only on Martha’s Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Officials on Martha’s Vineyard banned hunting and established a preserve to protect these birds and their habitat on the island. Initially, these measures were effective, with the population increasing from less than 100 to around 2,000 by 1916. However, the this trend would not last.

In May 1916, a wildfire devastated the heath hen breeding grounds, and the following year, the annual census turned up only 150 birds. Moreover, most of the survivors were males, leaving the population dangerously imbalanced. Inbreeding and diseases carried by domestic poultry took a toll over the next decade, and in 1927 only 13 birds remained, dropping to just 2 in 1928. By spring of 1929, only one heath hen was surveyed by biologists.

Booming Ben

Islanders nicknamed the remaining heath hen “Booming Ben,” after the noise heath hens and other members of the grouse family make make during their elaborate mating display. With no females left to impress and no other males to compete against, however, Ben remained silent. “The bird presented a pathetic figure as it stood out there all alone,” wrote Bowdoin College professor Alfred O. Gross at the time, “without any companions save the crows that had come to share the food intended for the heath hen.”

Gross was broadly considered the expert on heath hen science in North America. He and his colleagues trapped Booming Ben and attached a leg band for identification, hoping that they’d recognize his remains if he turned up dead. Eventually he disappeared for good after a last sighting in March 1932. The death and exact date of extinction remain mysteries, with many reported sightings turning out to be pheasants, grouse, or other birds. According to one account, Booming Ben almost met his demise when narrowly missed by a vehicle driven by sporting author and conservationist John C. Phillips, then president of the Massachusetts Fish and Game Association. Phillips also tried to breed heath hens but was unsuccessful.

Booming Ben’s death was the first time biologists had been able to watch firsthand as a species (technically, a subspecies) went extinct, despite the extensive efforts made to save the heath hen, such as reintroduction, breeding in captivity, and population supplementation with the prairie chicken. Today, a monument memorializing the last sighting of Booming Ben stands as a legacy to the heath hen on Martha’s Vineyard. It remains a popular spot for tourists captivated by the story of this now extinct bird.

The Heath Hen Collection at Haerer Books

We are fortunate enough to offer what is likely one of the most extensive heath hen collections ever offered publicly. It is headlined by the book titled ‘Heath Hen’ by Alfred Gross (1928). This first edition was published by the Boston Society of Natural History. It provides Gross’s comprehensive details of the heath hen and Booming Ben, in particular. With the book is Gross’s typed heath hen report for 1931 (a photocopy), as part of his work for Bowdoin College, the heath hen census reports for 1929 and 1930, and the heath hen report for 1931-1932, the year these birds were believed to go extinct. Gross provides incredibly detailed reports of the capture and monitoring of heath hens, which were not held in captivity and remained wild. The final report gives details of the capture and health of Booming Ben.

Within the book is a feather from Booming Ben collected during the 1931 survey by Gross and gifted. Adhered to the rear EP is the official heath hen report published by the Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England (by Gross) in 1928. Accompanying these items is a folder of eleven 8×12 photos of prairie chickens taken by Gross in Wisconsin, each with short labels. This research was part of a study to possibly re-establish the heath hen or introduce the prairie chicken in the east. Also included are ‘Hunting and Fishing’ magazine from July 1927 and ‘Nature Magazine’ from July 1930, each with heath hen articles, particularly regarding the population on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Note that this book (with feather) has been cleared for sale by the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The material is formerly of the collection of a New England sporting author, decoy expert, and ornithological enthusiast, who purchased the book at Copley some years ago and added various other materials over time.

An Extraordinarily Rare Feather

Ornithological collectors are not stranger to the pursuit of rare bird feathers. In 2024, a feather from the extinct New Zealand huia bird sold for over $28,000. Other feathers have garnered hundreds to thousands of dollars, and many are others are illegal to sell or even possess. Despite the relatively recent extinction of the heath hen, their feathers are extremely rare, largely because of their limited range and the measures implemented for their protection. Even many taxidermized heath hens are actually prairie chickens that have been mislabeled (knowingly or not). Consequently, this set is truly one of a kind and easily the most extensive heath hen collection offered for sale currently or on record.

References: Alfred Gross’s reports, expert discussions, ‘Hope Is The Thing With Feathers’ by Christopher Cokinos, https://www.jstor.org/stable/14878?mag=last-heath-hen, https://daily.jstor.org/last-heath-hen/, https://www.jstor.org/stable/4155726?mag=last-heath-hen&seq=1, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20699003?mag=last-heath-hen&seq=5, and https://www.jstor.org/stable/20699003?mag=last-heath-hen