The Bird Hat Craze That Sparked A Preservation Movement

At the turn of the 19th century in the U.S. and Europe, it became wildly popular for ladies to wear feathers and whole taxidermied birds on their hats. One ornithologist reported taking two walks in Manhattan in 1886 and counting 700 hats, 525 of which were topped by feathers or birds.
Ornithologists started to sit up and take notice. A campaign to end the practice began. Ironically, middle-class women were at the forefront of the bird preservation movement. They were the rank and file and, thanks in part to their work, in the U.S. the movement led to the formation of the first Audubon societies.