Hunters used to hunt passenger pigeons by tying or nailing dead or live pigeons to stools or log stumps as decoys. This was done in order to attract flocks of passenger pigeons which were at one time the most abundant bird on the planet close to them so they could shoot them. This practice continued until the species became totally extinct. The pigeon that severed as the decoy in effect betrayed his own kind by luring them to their deaths and for the passenger pigeon this ultimately led to their final extinction.
Today the term stool pigeon is applied to someone who betrays their own kind or group such as police informants who lure criminals into police traps.
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