http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/bnn.xml American Bird Conservancy provides news and information on birds and bird conservation through the Bird News Network en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 15:50:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130524.html Today the U.S. Bureau of Land Management published the Record of Decision and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Biological Opinion for the Alta East Wind Project in California, which would for the first time allow a wind farm to kill an endangered California Condor without danger of prosecution. Fewer than 250 California Condors remain in the wild.]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 15:50:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/130522.html The Federal Government has warned the State of Hawai'i that it should either enter a plea agreement with the Department of Justiceor face criminal prosecution, including possible jail time, in connection with the deaths of a large number of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and other wildlife caused by the continued use of certain street lights that are attracting the wildlife and ultimately causing their deaths.]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 11:10:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/130516.html American Bird Conservancy, a leading U.S. bird conservation group, in collaboration with the Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola report that by working with the Ministry of the Environment of the Dominican Republic, they have significantly improved protections for the northern flank of wildlife-rich Sierra de Bahoruco National Park and the Loma Charco Azul Biological Reserve in western Dominican Republic. Home to over 30 endemic bird species and habitat for dozens of migrating bird species, the largely forested area has been a favorite target for illegal tree cutting, squatting, charcoal production, and agricultural expansion."]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 14:50:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130513a.html In a letter sent today, over 100 conservation and scientific organizations are calling on the Obama administration to provide new protective measures for the Marbled Murrelet, a federally listed bird species whose population is rapidly declining.]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130513.html A new study from scientists at Boise State University shows that even bird species considered "tolerant" of human activity, such as American Kestrels, may be adversely impacted by human disturbance to a far greater degree than many had believed.]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/130509.html Dynamic modeling of sea-level rise, which takes storm wind and wave action into account, paints a much graver picture for birds at some low-lying Pacific islands under climate-change scenarios than the so-called passive models used in earlier research, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/130506.html Thanks to a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai'i, actions to protect the last remaining habitat for the Critically Endangered Palila from destructive browsing and grazing by feral sheep, mouflon-hybrid sheep, and goats can move forward.]]> Mon, 06 May 2013 10:45:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130503.html American Bird Conservancy has called on Arizona Governor Janice Brewer to overturn the decision by the Arizona Department of Water Resources that approved a groundwater pumping plan that runs the risk of drying a southern Arizona river, the San Pedro, part of which was formally designated in 1995 as the nation's first Globally Important Bird Area and remains today a critical stopover point for millions of migrating birds.]]> Fri, 03 May 2013 14:50:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130501.html American Bird Conservancy has sent letters to two of the nation's largest manufacturers of wild bird seeds, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and Kaytee Products, seeking assurance that the company supply chains remain free of neonicotinoid insecticides, which can be fatally poisonous to birds.]]> Wed, 01 May 2013 13:45:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130430b.html Four communities in Peru have agreed on complementary land actions that will protect 930 acres of vital cloud forest and double the size of an increasingly popular bird reserve - generating benefits for all.]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130430.html An international team of scientists from Chile, the United States, and Canada are mapping and timing the travels and activities of the imperiled Pink-footed Shearwater to better understand the habits and habitats of this species during their transequatorial migrations. This research will help shape conservation actions to help this species rebound from population declines resulting from a suite of impacts, both on the breeding colonies and at sea. ]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/130429.html A month-long, high-tech project to survey one of the Caribbean's most endangered birds, the Black-capped Petrel, has succeeded in identifying six previously unknown areas of petrel activity in the Dominican Republic: three flight corridors, and three possible nesting locations for the bird. Surveys also were conducted at seven sites in Haiti, a combination of new sites and areas where petrel activity was known previously.]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:30:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130422.html There is a perhaps little known but potentially significant component to the massive redevelopment effort taking place in Northern Virginia's Tysons area -- a provision that has the unusual potential to bring smiles to the faces of both developers and wildlife lovers.]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:20:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130418a.html A new study from British scientists has documented for the first time, significant new impacts to birds from outdoor cats, reporting that even brief appearances of cats near avian nest sites leads to at least a doubling in lethal nest predation of eggs and young birds by third-party animals, as well as behavioral changes in parent birds that lead to an approximately 33 percent reduction in the amount of food brought to nestlings following a predation threat.]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:30:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130417a.html A new study by federal and university scientists has provided the first direct videographic evidence of depredation of the endangered Hawaiian Petrel by feral cats. The study affirms large amounts of earlier anecdotal evidence that feral cats are an important factor in population declines of the species and provides important additional information on the behavior of cats at petrel burrows.]]> Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:20:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130410.html As temperatures start to climb, birds begin their annual spring migration and also begin breeding. American Bird Conservancy often gets asked, particularly during the spring, "How can I help the birds?" Here are the top ten things ABC recommends people do to aid or protect birds in their homes and yards.]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:40:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130329.html Despite public opposition, the Florida legislature is moving towards approving legislation that would authorize the public hoarding of cats by feral cat activists, in the face of potential public health and property value impacts, as well as predicted high mortality for native animals. The cost of cleaning up these areas could also fall on Florida taxpayers.]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130110.html American Bird Conservancy, bowing to a tidal wave of public opinion, has declared the Peep (Marshmallicious delicious) to be this year's Easter bird of the week, and has further announced it is to be split into four bird species. The reselection of 2011's choice was based on popular opinion. "I couldn't fight it any longer. The time has come - it was a no brainer for me," ABC President George Fenwick said.]]> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130326.html The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a new report detailing what it will take to conserve the imperiled Greater Sage-Grouse. The report maps out the most important areas for the conservation of the declining species, which in 2015 may be added to the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EDT http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130319.html As part of a study on impacts from the world's most widely used class of insecticides, nicotine-like chemicals called neonicotinoids, American Bird Conservancy has called for a ban on their use as seed treatments and for the suspension of all applications pending an independent review of the products' effects on birds, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and other wildlife.]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EDT