These birds were hunted for meat that was sold by the ton, and it was easy to do because when those big flocks came down to the ground, they were so dense that hundreds of hunters and netters could show up and slaughter them by the tens of thousands.
Burung-burung ini diburu karena dagingnya, yang dijual berton-ton, perburuan ini mudah dilakukan karena kawanan burung itu hinggap di tanah, jumlahnya sangat banyak sehingga ratusan pemburu dan penjaring muncul dan membantainya dalam jumlah puluhan ribu.