Endangered Species status for 7 Brazilian birds

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced its decision to list seven species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act:
* Black-hooded Antwren (Formicivora erythronotos)
* Brazilian Merganser (Mergus octosetaceus)
* Cherry-throated Tanager (Nemosia rourei)
* Fringe-backed Fire-eye (Pyriglena atra)
* Kaempfer’s Tody-Tyrant (Hemitriccus kaempferi)
* Margaretta’s Hermit (Phaethornis malaris margarettae) and
* southeastern Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi dulcis).

Black-hooded Antwren

These species are found in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biome in Brazil. All seven species face immediate and significant threats primarily from the threatened destruction and modification of their habitats from conversion of agricultural fields (e.g., soybeans, sugarcane, and corn), plantations (e.g., eucalyptus, pine, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and bananas), livestock pastures, centers of human habitation, and industrial developments (e.g., charcoal production, steel plants, and hydropower reservoirs).

Granting protection under the ESA for these seven species prohibits the import or export of the species, or their parts or products, as well as their sale in interstate or foreign commerce. The only exceptions are for scientific purposes and to assist in efforts aimed at enhancing the propagation or survival of these species. The final rule will publish in the Federal Register on Dec. 28, 2010.

Photo courtesy of Rick and Elis Simpson

Hawaiian company agrees to help seabirds more

From U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service press release:

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative entered a plea agreement today in federal court in Honolulu to resolve violations of the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. KIUC pleaded guilty to count one and count 16 of a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in May 2010.

Count one charged a violation of the ESA by knowingly “taking” at least 14 Newell’s shearwaters, a federally protected threatened species, at or near Keālia Beach. [Newell's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis newelli) is a subspecies of Townsend's Shearwater. --WB] Count 16 charged a violation of the MBTA by the “taking” of at least 18 Newell’s shearwaters, also protected as a migratory species, at KIUC’s Port Allen facility.

Under the ESA, “take” means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.

“The Department of Justice sought a criminal prosecution of KIUC only after a long history of attempts to resolve ongoing violations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The resolution of this case will set an example for others and help in the successful recovery of the Newell’s shearwaters, a threatened native species that is part of Hawai‘i’s cultural and natural heritage.” ...

KIUC admitted in its plea agreement that since June 2005, at least 14 Newell’s shearwaters were found dead near KIUC power lines near Keālia Beach and Donkey Beach. At least ten more shearwaters were found since 2005 near other KIUC power lines, including lines in and near the Wailua River Valley, Waimea River Valley, Eleele, and Kapaa. Necropsies of some birds concluded that they died from blunt force trauma consistent with a collision with a power line or other solid object. Eyewitnesses have observed such collisions with KIUC power lines.

The utility cooperative's press release about its responsibilities appears here.

Three Hawaiian seabirds at risk from utility cooperative

Three seabirds in the Hawaiian Islands prompted a utility cooperative on Kauai to submit a draft Habitat Conservation Plan and an Environmental Assessment for public review. The HCP and EA are part of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's application for an incidental take permit for bird species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The public may review and comment on the documents until Nov. 29.

The three species are Hawaiian Petrel (endangered, right), Newell's Shearwater (threatened, below) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (a candidate for listing). According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

The three seabirds breed on Kauai, feed in the open ocean and spend the majority of the year at sea. Adults generally return to their colonial nesting grounds in the interior mountains of Kauai beginning in March and April and depart beginning in September.

Fledglings – young birds learning how to fly – travel from the nesting colony to the sea in the fall. Both adults and fledglings are known to collide with tall buildings, towers, powerlines, and other structures while flying at night between their nesting colonies and at-sea foraging areas.

These birds, particularly fledglings, are also attracted to bright lights that disorient them. Disoriented birds are commonly observed circling around exterior light sources until they fall to the ground or collide with structures, resulting in possible injury or death.

KIUC has requested an incidental take permit because its lawful activities - generating and distributing electricity - will cause the occasional death of a bird during the operation and maintenance of its facilities during the next five years. The draft HCP describes KIUC's plans to "minimize, mitigate and monitor" incidental take.

For many more details about the draft HCP and EA, visit the link above.

Hawaiian Petrel, top, courtesy of Jim Denny/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Newell's Shearwater courtesy of Brenda Zaun/USFWS

Endangered Species Act protects 2 more birds

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said today the Endangered Species Act covers two birds from Ecuador: Black-breasted Puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis) and Medium Tree-Finch (Camarhynchus pauper). The puffleg, a hummingbird, is native to Volcán Pichincha, and the tree-finch is endemic to the island of Floreana in the Galapagos Islands.

The Black-breasted Puffleg population has declined between 50 and 79 percent in the past 12 years, due to habitat destruction, alteration, conversion and fragmentation. The species’ already small and declining population makes the Black-breasted Puffleg particularly vulnerable to extinction.

The Medium Tree-Finch is at risk primarily due to the introduced parasitic fly, Philornis downsi. The effects of P. downsi parasitism in finches is severe, accompanied by high incidences of nestling mortality as well as lower fledgling success, reduced nestling growth and reduced hemoglobin levels in nestlings. In addition, the clearing of native vegetation for agriculture and ranching; the destruction and degradation of habitat caused by introduced animals and plants; predation; and inadequate existing regulatory mechanisms are threatening the continued existence of the species.


Granting foreign species protection under the Endangered Species Act means import or export of any of the species, or their parts or products, as well as sale in interstate or foreign commerce, is prohibited. The only exceptions are for scientific purposes and to assist in efforts aimed at enhancing the propagation or survival of these species.

The final rule appeared in the Federal Register on July 27, 2010. For more information, visit the Service’s website at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/.

Black-breasted Puffleg courtesy of Steve Blain/The Internet Bird Collection
Medium Tree-Finch courtesy of Arkive.org

May 21: Endangered Species Day

This Friday, you can join the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and many conservation groups in celebrating America's conservation efforts to help threatened and endangered species.

Four signature events are scheduled in San Francisco, Washington D.C., Maine and Montana, and many FWS offices around the country held events last weekend, with more on the schedule for this weekend. Another list of events is available here.

Do you know when the Bald Eagle was "delisted"

or removed from the Endangered Species List? 2007

Want to test your knowledge of endangered species? Take this 12-question test.

Remove some birds to save threatened birds?

Yesterday, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service requested public input on the potential effects of removing Barred Owls from three areas in Oregon and Washington to control their predation on northern Spotted Owls, a threatened subspecies (Strix occidentalis caurina) on the federal Endangered Species List.

U.S. FWS specifically asks: What are the biological, social, economic and environmental effects that should be studied before the agency decides whether to conduct the experiments?

Information and comments must be identified with "barred owl EIS" and arrive no later than Jan. 11, addressed to Field Supervisor, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 2600 S.E. 98th Ave. Suite 100, Portland OR 97266 or faxed to 503-231-6195.

“We will decide whether to conduct experimental removal of barred owls only after this open, transparent review of the effects those experiments might have,” said Paul Henson, the Fish and Wildlife Service supervisor in Oregon. “Removing individuals of a common species to benefit a species in peril is something the Fish and Wildlife Service does when necessary, but we will not proceed with this experimental removal until we better understand – and document – the environmental effects of doing it.”

“Further,” he said, “we want to be very clear that this environmental review and decision process only applies to scientific experiments on the effects of removal. If we learn enough from the experiments we will begin another decision process, complete with additional public review and input, before we would decide whether to control barred owls as a management strategy.”

The U.S. FWS press release points out that northern Spotted Owl lives in forests from British Columbia to western Washington, Oregon and northern California. Compare the subspecies' limited range with that of Barred Owl (using the link in the first paragraph).

Barred Owls cover much more of the continent than northern Spotted Owls do. Does that make it easier to consider removing Barreds from the northerns' range??

Spotted Owl courtesy of L.A. Times

Sufficient protection for threatened race of Spotted Owl?

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service released a recovery plan on Friday for Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina).

According to a press release:

Developed over two years with help from scores of scientists, a recovery team of diverse experts, and an interagency group of biologists, the plan envisions recovery of the northern spotted owl could be achieved in 30 years at a cost of about $489 million. However, many of the actions in the plan are given only a 10-year lifespan, Lohoefener noted, due to the uncertainties associated with the threat from barred owls and the severe unpredictable risk of fire, especially in the dry eastern portion of the spotted owl's range, generally east of the Cascade Mountains' crest. Recovery actions will be monitored closely for effectiveness and revised if needed.

American Bird Conservancy immediately pointed out concerns about the plan.

To conserve the owl, the plan creates Managed Owl Conservation Areas (MOCAs) on 6.4 million acres which is significantly smaller than the existing system of reserves on 7.5 million acres created under the Northwest Forest Plan. While the MOCAs overlap with the reserves in many places, they provide 1.1 million acres less habitat protection, and do not include forests on the east side of Cascade crest. The agency may also be able use the creation of MOCAs to justify eliminating the existing system reserves.

It also mentioned three other concerns and the Northwest Forest Plan.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey

Public comments sought about Brown Pelican delisting

All populations of Brown Pelicans might be removed from the federal endangered species list, following the Feb. 8 announcement by the Secretary of the Interior. The delisting process, however, includes the opportunity to submit comments about the proposal to remove a species from the list.

The remaining populations occur along the Gulf and Pacific coasts, the Caribbean, and across Central and South America. On February 4, 1985, the Service delisted the brown pelican in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and points northward along the Atlantic Coast However, the brown pelican continued to be listed as endangered throughout the remainder of its range, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, California, Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies.

You can send comments and materials before April 21, 2008, through the federal eRulemaking portal. E-mails and faxes won't be accepted.

Brown Pelican might come off endangered species list

Big news from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

BATON ROUGE, La. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today celebrated the brown pelican’s remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction by formally proposing to remove the remaining protected populations of the bird along the Gulf and Pacific coasts, and in the Caribbean, and Central and South America from protection under the Endangered Species Act. Kempthorne announced the proposal at the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge during a joint appearance with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.


“Thanks to decades of coordinated efforts on the part of state and federal agencies, conservation organizations and private landowners, the pelican has rebounded to historic levels,” said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. “I’d like to thank Governor Jindal and the State of Louisiana for their contributions to the pelican’s recovery and for inviting me here to mark this milestone in conservation history.”

Kempthorne also noted that the pelican’s recovery is due in large measure to the federal ban on the general use of the pesticide DDT in 1972, after former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and alerted the nation to the dangers of unrestricted pesticide use.

“The brown pelican is known for its fishing displays, plunging headlong from the air into the water and rising with a mouthful of fish. In the same dramatic fashion, the pelican has pulled off an amazing recovery after a steep plunge toward extinction,” said Kempthorne. “There are now more than 620,000 brown pelicans found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts of our nation, as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America.”

The service describes the delisting process here, and a fact sheet with photos appears here.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Commemorative Bald Eagle Coins

This week, the United States Mint released three commemorative coins featuring the Bald Eagle. The limited-edition coins mark the 35th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act.

the $5 gold coin, proof version

the silver dollar, proof version

the half-dollar, proof version

Portions from the coins' sales will go to American Eagle Foundation to fund its work. You can buy them individually as proof coins or circulated coins. Sets also are available.

Orders can be made via phone from 8 a.m. to midnight (ET), seven days a week, at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). The mail-order option involves downloading the order form and mailing it to

United States Mint
PO Box 71188
Philadelphia PA 19176-6188

Endangered Hawaiian birds might receive ESA protection

The Akekee and the Akikiki might benefit from the Endangered Species Act if a recent petition filed by American Bird Conservancy and Dr. Eric VanderWerf receives approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The two endemic species live only on Kauai.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy birthday, America!

Many thanks to everyone who worked to remove our national symbol
from the Endangered Species List!

Bald Eagle habitat at risk?

Do you think the concerns are warranted? If so, what facts lead you to that conclusion?

(CNN) -- The bald eagle is officially about to become a "conservation success story" for the U.S. government, which has worked for more than three decades to help the national symbol recover from habitat destruction, illegal shooting and contamination of its food source.

By June 29, the government is expected to take bald eagles off the Endangered Species Act's "threatened" list. The birds then would be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

But Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity conservation group said this victory comes at a price -- loss of eagle habitat protection.

The bird's nesting grounds were protected as long as the bald eagle was considered a "threatened" species. But the less restrictive eagle protection act does not put eagle habitats off-limits.

Suckling said he worries that without habitat protection, developers will move into critical bald eagle areas, push the birds out and reduce their numbers.

10 endangered birds under review

The Pacific region of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will review the status of 10 birds -- among other species -- protected by the Endangered Species Act. Public comments are welcome until May 7 about the 71 species, which occur in Oregon, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

Periodic status reviews of all listed species are required by the ESA at least once every 5 years to determine whether a species’ classification as threatened or endangered is still appropriate. If the best scientific and commercial data produced since the time of listing are not consistent with the current classification of any species, the Service will recommend a change in the species’ federal classification. A species could be recommended for reclassification from endangered to threatened (downlisting), from threatened to endangered (uplisting), or for removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species (delisting).

Information that is considered in a status review includes:
· Species biology, including but not limited to, population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics and genetics;
· Habitat conditions including, but not limited to, amount, distribution and suitability;
· Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit the species;
· Threat status and trends; and
· Other new information, data or corrections including, but not limited to, taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the list, and improved analytical methods.

The avian species include:
· Bridled White-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus conspicillatus) in Guam
· Guam Rail (Rallus owstoni)
· Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis)
· Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana)
· Hawaiian Hawk (Buteo solitarius)
· Mariana Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus guami)
· Nightingale Reed Warbler (Old World warbler) (Acrocephalus luscinia)
· Oahu Elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis ibidis)
· Palila (honeycreeper) (Loxioides bailleui)
· Small Kauai Thrush (Myadestes palmeri)

Bridled White-eye courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service