After 50-year conservation effort, songbird flies off U.S. endangered species list

A male Kirtland’s warbler sings its song. Originally published by E&E News The Kirtland’s warbler has required protections for as long as there has been an Endangered Species Act (ESA), but that’s about to change. In what the Trump administration and some environmentalists are calling a regulatory and collaborative success story, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) today announced it is removing the notably loudmouthed songbird from the endangered species list. "The Kirtland’s warbler has responded well to active management over the past 50 years," FWS said. "The primary threats identified at listing and during … development of the recovery plan have been managed, and commitments are in place to continue managing the threats." FWS cited, in particular, the work done by Michigan state and federal agencies to boost breeding habitat and combat brood parasitism by an unscrupulous competitor species. "The effort to recover the Kirtland’s warbler is a shining example of what it takes to save imperiled species," said Margaret Everson, principal deputy director of FWS. "Truly dedicated partners have worked together for decades to recover this songbird." Population numbers underscore the warbler’s turnaround ( Greenwire , 11 April, 2018). In 1971, two years before enactment of the […]

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