For Immediate Release: March 16, 2006

Contact: , American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 207

New Report: Endangered Species Act Saving America's Birds

63% of Species Increasing or Stable; Several have Grown More than Tenfold

WASHINGTON, D.C.— A report published today by American Bird Conservancy (ABC) shows that the Endangered Species Act is saving America’s rarest birds. Of 43 birds listed under the Act that breed in the continental U.S., 44% have increased since listing, and a further 19% are stable, or have been stabilized by conservation measures.

Less than a quarter of the species are declining, and many of these were added to the list relatively recently, giving conservation measures less time to work. In fact, species that have increased since listing have been on the endangered list an average of ten years longer than those that have decreased, showing that, given time, conservation efforts can recover populations. The recently rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker, along with four other species, was allocated to an "Undetermined" category due to lack of population and trend data. One species, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow became extinct in 1987.

The report highlights many success stories, with nine species having experienced more than tenfold population increases since they were first protected by the Act. These include our national bird, the Bald Eagle, whose population has increased to 20 times its 1970s levels. Other success stories include the Brown Pelican, Peregrine Falcon, Aleutian Canada Goose, California Condor, San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike, and Whooping Crane. Some endangered birds are migratory, and every state has at least one or two species on the federal endangered list.

"Perhaps the Endangered Species Act can be improved, but it is important to remember that it is already working as it should to save species from extinction and recover their populations - an extremely difficult task even with sufficient financial support," said George Fenwick, President of ABC. "The Act has been a major success, and is limited primarily by lack of funding. The American people strongly support endangered species conservation, and do not want to see the Act weakened to benefit minority interest groups," he added. "Today it isn't hard to see a Bald Eagle in most states. If not for the Endangered Species Act, you'd need to fly to Alaska to see one."

Most of the species that are still declining face ongoing habitat loss or alteration. This can be allowed under the Act so long as landowners implement conservation plans - which are in place for 80% of the declining species. "Although Habitat Conservation Plans can be a very good way to resolve land-use conflicts, when one doesn't work it stands to reason that the species will continue to decline" said Mike Parr, ABC's Vice President, and one of the authors of the report. "Critics would have us believe that the Act is failing, yet their proposed alternatives would relax protections further enabling habitat destruction to accelerate."

In contrast to continental species, 27% of listed Hawaiian birds that survived at least into the 1970s have likely since become extinct. Many of these were so rare by the time the Act became law that it was already too late to save them. Nevertheless, conservation measures have helped fourteen of the remaining endangered Hawaiian birds to stabilize or increase, whereas only five are currently in the decrease category. Hawaiian birds have suffered from a barrage of threats that are comparatively hard to counter, such as introduced diseases, alien predators, hurricanes, and severe habitat alteration. They also evolved in the absence of mammalian predators such as mongooses, and diseases such as avian malaria, and many were unable to adjust when these were introduced to the islands. Some of those that survive appear to be developing immunity to diseases, and others have been successfully reintroduced from captive stock.

Conservation measures employed to protect listed bird species include tens of thousands of federal agency consultations to ensure that government actions do not adversely impact endangered species, the establishment of many National Wildlife Refuges, 380 Habitat Conservation Plans, and tens of millions of dollars in funding, including more than $70 million this budget year to states and landowners. Conservation measures also include Critical Habitat designations, species Recovery Plans, and Safe Harbor agreements.

To download the entire report, and to obtain graphics for media use, visit www.abcbbirds.org/esa.

Photographs of endangered species for media use, including most of the birds listed above, can be found at http://images.fws.gov (just enter the species name in the keyword box under "Quick Search" at the top left).

The following graphic may be used in conjunction with media coverage of the ABC report. Credit to American Bird Conservancy.

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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC is headquartered in Virginia, with offices in ten states and the District of Columbia. ABC has more than 300 partner organizations throughout the Americas, primarily through its leadership roles in the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Partners in Flight, the Bird Conservation Alliance, the National Pesticide Reform Coalition, and the Alliance for Zero Extinction. ABC was recently rated one of the best-managed small charities in the U.S. by the independent group “Charity Navigator,” and given their highest rating for fiscal management. For more information, see: www.abcbirds.org.