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BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
BIRDCONSERVATION
The Magazine of American Bird Conservancy   SUMMER/FALL 2018
BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Completing the Jigsaw of                                                                                                            ABC is dedicated to conserving
                                                                                                                                 birds and their habitats throughout

Endangered Bird Conservation                                                                                                     the Americas. With an emphasis on
                                                                                                                                   achieving results and working in
                                                                                                                                 partnership, we take on the greatest

I
   was worried about the direction                                                     better-protected, single-site endemic   problems facing birds today, innovating
   of international conservation.                                                      species that AZE highlights.             and building on rapid advancements
   The year was 2000, and a race                                                                                                in science to halt extinctions, protect
                                                                                       That’s where ABC’s new “gap
seemed to be on to see who could
                                                                                                                                 habitats, eliminate threats, and build
                                                                                                                                                                                   Summer/Fall 2018
protect the largest area for the                                                       analysis” comes in. (See article,

                                                                                                                                                                                   BIRDCONSERVATION
                                                                                       p. 16.) In this story, you will see          capacity for bird conservation.
least amount of money. Priority
areas were getting bigger and                                                          how ABC is working to build on
bigger, from the Amazon to the                                                         AZE and complete the jigsaw of
                                                                                       conservation for all Endangered
Coral Triangle, Yellowstone to the
Yukon.                                                                                 birds in the Americas. We’re
                                                                                                                               A copy of the current financial statement and
                                                                                                                               registration filed by the organization may be       10           Saving the Reddish Egret,
All were vitally important efforts
                                                                                       trying to identify and conserve
                                                                                       sufficient sites to save populations
                                                                                                                               obtained by contacting: ABC, P.O. Box 249,
                                                                                                                               The Plains, VA 20198. 540-253-5780, or by
                                                                                                                               contacting the following state agencies:
                                                                                                                                                                                                a Seashore Sentinel
for biodiversity conservation, but                                                     of each and every Endangered or         Florida: Division of Consumer Services,

what worried me as a birder and
conservationist was that there’s
                                                                                       Critically Endangered bird species
                                                                                       in the Western Hemisphere.
                                                                                                                               toll-free number within the state:
                                                                                                                               800-435-7352.                                       16           Closing the Gap: Helping
always that one place. The best                                                        Once this work is complete, we
                                                                                                                               Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage:
                                                                                                                               Office of the Secretary of State, Statehouse,                    Under-Protected Bird Species
                                                   We’re trying to identify and                                                Annapolis, MD 21401.
place — and often a small place —                                                      will have created a robust line         New Jersey: Attorney General, State
to see whichever rare species you
are seeking. Those sorts of places,
                                                    conserve sufficient sites to       of defense against the most
                                                                                       imminent and predictable bird
                                                                                                                               of New Jersey: 201-504-6259.
                                                                                                                               New York: Office of the Attorney General,           21           From Birkenstock to NASA, a Push
                                                                                                                               Department of Law, Charities Bureau,
whether they’re on a particular                   save populations of each and         extinctions. I believe these barriers   120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.                                to Make Windows Safer for Birds
slope of a mountain in Colombia                                                        against extinction can hold for a       Pennsylvania: Department of State,

or a certain patch of wetland
                                                 every Endangered or Critically        generation or more as we adapt
                                                                                                                               toll-free number within the state:

                                                                                                                                                                                   24           Hope for a Blue-eyed
                                                                                                                               800-732-0999.
in Brazil, aren’t well conserved                 Endangered bird species in the        to a changing planet and develop        Virginia: State Division of Consumer Affairs,
                                                                                                                               Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
by large-scale approaches. They                                                        new conservation technology and
need very specific site-based                          Western Hemisphere.             delivery mechanisms.
                                                                                                                               P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209.
                                                                                                                               West Virginia: Secretary of State, State Capitol,
                                                                                                                                                                                                Brazilian Rarity
conservation.                                                                                                                  Charleston, WV 25305.

                                                ABC continues to chair the             At ABC, we are constantly               Registration does not imply endorsement,
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one              initiative, and it has accomplished    balancing “going deep” to sustain       approval, or recommendation by any state.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           DEPARTMENTS
thinking along these lines. Thanks              great things. For example, the         the protection of areas where we are    Bird Conservation is the magazine of ABC and
to the encouragement of then-ABC
Board Chair, Ken Berlin, a group
                                                Millerbird was removed from            already active, and “going wide” to
                                                                                       conserve new places that desperately
                                                                                                                               is published three times yearly for members.

                                                                                                                               Senior Editor: Libby Sander
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2          Bird’s Eye View
                                                the AZE list in 2018 following its
of us came together to map out
such sites across the Earth’s surface.
                                                successful establishment on            need help. With your support we
                                                                                       can do both more effectively —
                                                                                                                               VP of Communications: Clare Nielsen
                                                                                                                               Graphic Design: Gemma Radko                                                                                  4          On the Wire
                                                a second Hawaiian island.                                                      Contributors: Jane Fitzgerald, Bennett
This group included Tom Brooks
and John Lamoreux in particular,                I’m very proud of what ABC and
                                                                                       and we can all worry less about
                                                                                       the future of our rarest birds!
                                                                                                                               Hennessey, Steve Holmer, Brad Keitt, Daniel
                                                                                                                               Lebbin, Jack Morrison, Merrie Morrison,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            9          Species Profile
                                                                                                                               Hannah Nevins, Mike Parr, Chris Sheppard,
                                                AZE have accomplished. But I’m
who were then working with
Conservation International and                  still worried. That’s because AZE
                                                                                       With sincere thanks,                    Grant Sizemore, David Wiedenfeld                                                                             31         Final Glimpse
World Wildlife Fund respectively.               focuses exclusively on Endangered                                              For more information contact:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Black-capped Vireo chicks. This species has shown
This initiative morphed into                    and Critically Endangered species                                              American Bird Conservancy                                                                              encouraging signs of recovery and was removed
the Alliance for Zero Extinction                found only at single sites. But what                                           4249 Loudoun Avenue, P.O. Box 249                                                                      from the Endangered Species list in April 2018.
                                                                                                                               The Plains, VA 20198                                                                                   Photo by Cameron Rutt
(AZE), which has since gained                   about the unprotected Endangered                                               540-253-5780 • info@abcbirds.org
international prominence as a                   species found at two, three, or
means of identifying and protecting             a handful of sites? The threats
                                                                                                                                        Join us online!                            TOP: Yellow-headed Brushfinch, an Endangered species, is found only in
irreplaceable sites for the most                these species face may be even                                                                                                     a small area of Colombia and is in urgent need of conservation attention.
endangered species worldwide.                   more urgent than some of the           Michael J. Parr, President                                                                  Photo by Fundación ProAves, www.proaves.org

                                                                                       American Bird Conservancy
                                                                                                                                           abcbirds.org
COVER: Blue-eyed Ground-Dove by Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding                                                                                                                                                                 B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   3
TOP: Nihoa Millerbird by Robby Kohley
BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
ON the WIRE
                                                                                                                                      Twenty-first Century Cat Care Benefits Cats and Birds
 Keen Sense of Smell Leads to Black-capped Petrel Discovery
                                                                                                                                      W
                                                                                                                                                 e all know people who                                                              a leash or in a backpack, and more
                                                                                                                                                 let their cats wander,                                                             recently, stroller rides.

 N
          esting storm-petrels are                                                            handful of feathers at the burrow’s                perhaps unaware of

                                                       Tazio Taveres
          notoriously difficult to lo-                                                        entrance. Trail cameras revealed        the impact of free-roaming fe-                                                                “Many people think it’s not fair
          cate, and the Endangered                                                            that a non-native mongoose — a          lines on wildlife. This summer,                                                               for them to not be free outside,”
 Black-capped Petrel is no excep-                                                             known predator of the petrel —          ABC launched the Happy Cats,                                                                  Viscusi continues. “But I think it’s
 tion. Like similar species such as                                                           had raided the burrow. Despite          Healthy Birds Campaign to help                                                                not fair to put them in harm’s way.
 the Hawaiian Petrel, this Caribbean                                                          this setback, the team hopes to         pet owners make the transition                                                                Louie’s safety is my priority.”
 endemic is nocturnal at its colony                                                           find other nests in the area and        to a lifestyle that’s better for both
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The campaign features stories
 sites. Known locally as diablotín, or                                                        will continue to work with Valle        cats and birds. (Visit: abcbirds.org/
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    and tips on ABC’s Bird Calls blog
 “little devil,” for its eerie nocturnal                                                      Nuevo National Park to develop a        catio-solutions-cats.)                    Louie safely explores the great outdoors.
                                                                                                                                                                                Photo by Christiana Viscusi                         (abcbirds.org/birdcalls) and social
 calls, the bird nests underground                                                            protection strategy for the site.
                                                                                                                                      ABC supporters and their cats (or                                                             media accounts. (You can easily
 in well-hidden burrows, usually on
                                                                                              In other news, additional nesting       Feline Ambassadors, as we’re calling      “Responsible cat care means some-                   find us on Facebook, Twitter, and
 steep hillsides amid heavy vegeta-
                                                                                              sites may soon be found elsewhere:      them) are helping us spread the           thing different than it did in our                  Instagram.)
 tive cover. Finding a Black-capped
                                                                                              Recent radar surveys by EPIC show       word. One of these duos, Christiana       parents’ generation,” says Viscusi.
 Petrel nest is like searching for a                                                                                                                                                                                                We’re also asking pet owners to
                                                      Led by Ernst Rupp of Grupo              what appear to be petrels flying        Viscusi and her cat, Louie, are           “Now we know how unsafe it is for
 needle in a haystack.                                                                                                                                                                                                              take action by signing our pledge
                                                      Jaragua, the field team also included   into Morne Diablotín, the highest       demonstrating new products — cat          cats to roam unsupervised. And we
                                                      biologists José Luis Castillo, Gersón                                                                                                                                         to keep cats and birds safe.
 Despite these challenges, biolo-                                                             peak on the island of Dominica.         strollers, harnesses, backpacks, and      also know that they can harm na-
 gists in the Dominican Republic,                     Feliz, Jairo Isaa Arache, and Manuel                                            more — to illustrate what being           tive wildlife at the same time. All                 Please sign and share our pledge:
 with support from ABC, continue                      Alejandro Doleo. The discovery was      The International Black-capped Petrel                                             of my cats have been indoor cats
                                                                                                                                      a cat owner looks like in the 21st                                                            abcbirds.org/action/cats-pledge
 to discover nest sites and learn                     the result of several years of effort   Working Group, coordinated by Birds-                                              that go on outdoor adventures on
                                                                                                                                      century.
 more about what needs to be done                     and was guided by prior radar and       Caribbean, has been a key partner
 to protect the species. One step                     acoustic surveys by Environmental       in guiding conservation actions for

                                                                                                                                           JOIN OUR QUEST
 forward took place in May 2017,                      Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).     this species. This work was supported
 when researchers discovered a new                    But ultimately, it was Gersón’s keen    in part by the Disney Conservation
 nesting site in Valle Nuevo Nation-                  sense of smell that led the group to    Fund, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species

                                                                                                                                            to SAVE the RAREST
 al Park in the Dominican Republic,                   the musky-smelling seabird burrow.      Conservation Fund, and the U.S. Fish
 which represents the easternmost                                                             and Wildlife Service.
                                                      In early 2018, biologists returned
 confirmed nesting location for
                                                      to the nesting site to find a
 Black-capped Petrels on the island.
                                                                                                                                      Preventing bird extinctions is at         do it alone. Will you join our quest
 “We were very excited to have                                                                                                        the heart of our mission. With our        to save the hemisphere’s most

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Gray-bellied Comet by Björn Anderson
 finally found an active nest in                                                                                                      international partners in Latin America   threatened birds by donating today?
 Valle Nuevo,” says Yolanda León,                                                                                                     and the Caribbean, we’ve made
 President of Grupo Jaragua, one of                                                                                                                                             We know that with strong
                                                                                                                                      great strides, protecting 60 species
 ABC’s partner organizations in the                                                                                                                                             partnerships, sufficient resources,
                                                                                                                                      of highly threatened birds by creating
 Dominican Republic. “Cordillera                                                                                                      reserves, establishing easements, and
                                                                                                                                                                                and political will, we can stabilize and
 Central is a vast mountain range                                                                                                                                               recover the populations of the rarest
                                                                                                                                      restoring habitats across more than a
 with a number of large protected                                                                                                                                               birds. The increase in numbers of
                                                                                                                                      million acres.
 areas, and the petrels’ presence                                                                                                                                               Rusty-faced Parrots in Colombia and
 there, even in low numbers, could                                                                                                    We need to do more. Hundreds              Lear’s Macaws in Brazil attest to that.
 greatly improve their conservation                                                                                                   of bird species in the Americas are       Still, the conservation needs of so                 Lilacine Amazon in Ecuador and the
 outlook in Hispaniola.”
                                                                                                                                      threatened with extinction, and in        many other bird species are great.                  Gray-bellied Comet in Peru.
                                                                                                                                      the coming year ABC is committing
                                                                                                                                                                                Please give today. You will help ABC                Please use the enclosed envelope
 Discovery of the first nest in Valle Nuevo,                                                                                          an additional $1 million or more to
 Dominican Republic by José Luis Castillo (left)                                                                                                                                fill in those gaps and help us protect              to make an additional gift, or give
                                                                                                                                      projects to protect their habitats and
 and Gersón Feliz (right), who followed his nose                                                                                                                                other threatened birds, including the               online: abcbirds.org/donate
 to the burrow entrance. Photo by Grupo Jaragua                                                                                       address other threats. But we can’t

  4   B I R D CO N S E R V A TI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018                                                                                                                                                                 B I R D CON SE R V A T IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   5
BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
ON the WIRE
Endangered Species Act Rollbacks                                                                                                      ABC, Other Conservation Groups                                                          Federation, and the Natural
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Resources Defense Council, filed
Take Aim at Threatened Species                                                                                                        Sue to Protect Migratory Birds                                                          a lawsuit challenging this move
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              to eliminate longstanding legal

I                                                                                                                                     ABC
   n the latest in a string of envi-               likely result in some Threatened                                                                 and a coalition of               credited with bringing hundreds          protections for birds.
   ronmental rollbacks, the U.S.                   species continuing to decline                                                                    conservation organi-             of species back from the brink of
                                                                                                                                      zations have sued the U.S. Depart-             extinction, including the Wood           “The Administration’s new policy
   Department of the Interior                      toward endangerment instead of
                                                                                                                                      ment of the Interior over an abrupt            Duck, Eastern Bluebird, and              makes it much harder to protect
proposed changes to the Endan-                     recovery.”
                                                                                                                                      policy reversal concerning one of              Sandhill Crane.                          birds from threats like oil pits,
gered Species Act on July 18,
                                                   Another change would allow for                                                     the nation’s most important envi-                                                       wind turbines, and communication
establishing a 60-day period for                                                                Maintaining the existing
                                                   economic analyses to be included                                                   ronmental laws. The lawsuit, filed             In December 2017, the current            towers in migration hotspots,”
comments. Among the changes are
                                                   in decisions about listing species             science-based listing               on May 24 in U.S. District Court               Administration reversed decades          says Mike Parr, President of ABC.
elimination of blanket protection
                                                   under the ESA, while the current                                                   in New York, alleges that Interior             of policy and practice — imple-          “Leaving these threats unattended
— known as the “4d rule” — for
species listed as “Threatened.”                    process strictly adheres to science             process is crucial to              violated the Migratory Bird Treaty             mented under both Democratic             is like leaving manhole covers off
                                                   and explicitly forbids inclusion of                                                Act, Administrative Procedures Act,            and Republican administrations —         the sidewalk during rush hour —
“Under these changes, birds and                    economic considerations.
                                                                                                conserve declining bird                                                              that determine how the MBTA is           it’s negligent, irresponsible, and
                                                                                                                                      and National Environmental Policy
other species listed as Threatened                                                                                                                                                   implemented and enforced. Under          guaranteed to cause harm.”
                                                   “We’re concerned that the
                                                                                                        populations.                  Act by issuing a legal opinion late
in the coming years would not                                                                                                         last year that effectively releases in-        the new interpretation, the MBTA’s
                                                   inclusion of economic factors                                                                                                     protections will apply only to ac-       The risk of liability under the
be protected from all threats and                                                                                                     dustries from any liability under the
                                                   will invite political interference,”     of birds were listed under the ESA.                                                      tivities that purposefully kill birds.   MBTA has long provided industries
could be killed or harmed,” says                                                                                                      Migratory Bird Treaty Act related to
                                                   says Holmer. “Unfortunately, the         If slanted economic analysis were                                                        Companies whose industrial ac-           with an incentive to work with
Steve Holmer, ABC’s Vice President                                                                                                    “incidental take” — bird deaths that
                                                   benefits of wildlife conservation —      included, it is likely that some                                                         tivities cause unintentional deaths      the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
for Policy. “Several birds listed as                                                                                                  are not deliberate but nevertheless
                                                   which provide billions of dollars        of these species — such as the                                                           — birds that perish in uncovered         to minimize bird deaths. The
Threatened under the ESA — the                                                                                                        are predictable and preventable.
                                                   to the economy in the form of            Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red                                                        toxic oil pits, for instance — are       Administration’s new policy
Marbled Murrelet and Northern
                                                   birdwatching and other activities        Knot, and Gunnison Sage-Grouse            The Migratory Bird Treaty Act                  no longer liable under the law, no       eliminates this incentive, putting
Spotted Owl in particular — owe
                                                   that depend on healthy landscapes        — would not have been granted             (MBTA), enacted in 1918, is an                 matter how inevitable or devastat-       already-declining populations of
their current existence in large
                                                   — are often undervalued.                 ESA protection due to political           essential component of U.S. bird               ing the impact on birds.                 songbirds and other migratory
part to the ESA’s blanket 4d
                                                                                            interference. We’re urging that           conservation. Its prohibition on                                                        birds at additional risk.
rule. The change will mean that
                                                   “Maintaining the existing                the existing science-based listing                                                       In response, ABC and several other
species listed as Threatened under                                                                                                    the killing of migratory birds has
                                                   science-based listing process is         process be retained.”                                                                    environmental groups, including          Please help protect the Migratory
the Act will not automatically                                                                                                        long been understood to extend
                                                   crucial to conserve declining bird                                                                                                the Center for Biological Diversity,     Bird Treaty Act by signing ABC’s
receive the same protection as                                                                                                        beyond illegal hunting to include
                                                   populations,” Holmer adds. “Just                                                                                                  Defenders of Wildlife, National          petition: abcbirds.org/action/
Endangered species. This will                                                               TOP: Marbled Murrelets by Tim Zurowski,   industrial activities. The law is
                                                   this decade, seven new populations       Shutterstock                                                                             Audubon Society, National Wildlife       petition-mbta
                                                                                                                                      Sandhill Cranes by Sumikophoto, Shutterstock

Icebreaker Battle Continues on Lake Erie                                                                                                     Under the new interpretation, the MBTA’s protections will apply only to activities that

ABC           and Black Swamp
              Bird Observatory
(BSBO) continue to raise concerns
                                                   “We reject the EA’s claim that this
                                                   wind energy facility would have
                                                   ‘little to no impact’” on birds, says
                                                                                            “foot in the door” strategy that
                                                                                            could set the stage for a far larger
                                                                                            1,000-turbine project on Lake Erie
                                                                                                                                        purposefully kill birds. Companies whose industrial activities cause accidental deaths are no
                                                                                                                                                longer liable under the law, no matter how inevitable or devastating the impact.
about the potential for Lake Erie’s                Kimberly Kaufman, BSBO’s Execu-          in the future.
first proposed offshore wind                       tive Director, citing the critical im-
project, “Icebreaker,” to have                     portance of Lake Erie to migratory       “We support Bird-Smart Wind
a devastating impact on birds.                     birds such as the Endangered Kirt-       Energy, which is all about putting
BSBO’s Don Bauman and Mark                         land’s Warbler. Millions of birds        turbines in the places where impact
Shieldcastle spoke at a public                     pass through the Lake Erie area          on birds can be minimized,”
hearing before the Cleveland City                  on their way north to breeding           Holmer says. “But choosing Lake
Council on July 19, pointing out                   grounds in the boreal forest.            Erie as a place for turbines is
deficiencies in the project’s draft                                                         about as bad as it gets from a bird
environmental assessment (EA).                     ABC’s Steve Holmer calls the             conservation perspective.”
                                                   six-turbine Icebreaker project a

6   B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018
BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
SPECIES PROFILE
                                                                                                                                 Speak out in support of restric-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Equal Opportunity

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Greater Sage-Grouse by Kerry Hargrove, Shutterstock
                                            BIRDS in BRIEF                                                                       tions on neonicotinoid use in
                                                                                                                                 the U.S.: abcbirds.org/action/
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Courtship
                                            Rediscovery of Belem                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Unusual for birds, both male and
                                                                                                                                 petition-neonics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Agami Heron by Glenn Bartley, www.glennbartley.com
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          female Agami Herons flaunt col-
                                            Curassow
                                                                                                                                 Improved Conservation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    orful plumage during the breed-
                                            After a 40-year absence, Brazilian                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ing season. Both sexes also show
                                            researchers rediscovered the
                                                                                                                                 Status for Two Endangered
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          heightened color in the lores (the
                                            Critically Endangered Belem
                                                                                                                                 Birds
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          fleshy area between the base of the
                                            Curassow. The research team,                                                         Two birds listed under the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               bill and front of the eyes), which
                                            searching in the Gurupi Biological                                                   Endangered Species Act have                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              turn an intense red during court-
                                            Reserve in northeastern Brazil,                                                      shown such encouraging signs of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ship. Males and females “dance”
                                            found the bird in the wild in                                                        recovery that one species has been                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       together in a spectacular plume-
                                            December 2017. The turkey-sized                                                      delisted and another may shortly                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         shaking, bill-snapping display.
                                                                                                                                                                      activity on about 10 million acres
                                            black bird, formerly considered a                                                    follow. Black-capped Vireo was
                                                                                                                                                                      of prime sage-grouse habitat while
                                            subspecies of Bare-faced Curassow,                                                   removed from the Endangered                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Recent fieldwork has found that
                                                                                                                                                                      expanding oil and gas leasing
                                            was last seen in the wild in 1978.                                                   Species list in April. Kirtland's                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Agami Herons, like Reddish Egrets
                                                                                                                                                                      across the declining species’ range.
                                                                                                                                 Warbler, whose population has                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            and many other waterbirds, nest in
                                                                                                                                 increased fivefold since the early   Speak out for continued                                                                                                                                                                                                             colonies. The birds hide their nests,
Captive Belem Curassow by Emanuel Barreto

                                                                                                                                 1950s, was proposed for delisting    protection for the Greater Sage-                                                                                                                                                                                                    a loose platform of sticks, within
                                                                                                                                 in April. A final decision could     Grouse: abcbirds.org/action/                                                                                                                                                                                                        the forest canopy.
                                                                                                                                 come later this year. (See story,    petition-sage-grouse
                                                                                                                                 p. 30.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Conserving Agami Herons
                                                                                                                                                                      Bobwhite Recovery Efforts                                                                                                                                                                                                           in Costa Rica
                                                                                                                                                                      Proving Successful                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Agami Heron is listed as
                                                                                                                                                                      New Jersey Audubon and partners                                                                                                                                                                                                     Vulnerable by the International
                                                                                                                                                                      have reached a milestone in efforts                                                                                                                                                                                                 Union for the Conservation of
                                                                                                                                                                      to restore Northern Bobwhite to                                                                                                                                                                                                     Nature, based on predictions of

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                he Agami Heron is a coveted     Undercover Fisherman                      future habitat loss in lowland
                                                                                                                                                                      the New Jersey Pinelands, where
                                                                                                                                                                      this species was once common.                                                                                                                             sighting for birders visiting   This heron specializes in fishing         forests, particularly throughout
                                            European Union Bans                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 flooded lowland forests and
                                                                                                                                                                      Since 2015, 320 quail have been                                                                                                                                                           from river banks or branches over-        the Amazon region.
                                            Neonics                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     slow-moving waterways of Central        hanging the water. Its long neck
                                                                                             Black-capped Vireo by Greg Lavaty

                                                                                                                                                                      released and 39 nests have been
                                            The European Union has                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and South America. This long-           and dagger-like bill — the longest of     In Costa Rica, ABC partner Osa
                                                                                                                                                                      found, with the first confirmed
                                            banned nearly all uses of three                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             billed, medium-sized heron is so        any New World heron's — gives the         Conservation protects several
                                                                                                                                                                      nesting of bobwhite recorded in
                                            neonicotinoid pesticides due to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             distinctive that it occupies its own    Agami a significant striking range,       properties in the Osa Peninsula
                                                                                                                                                                      the Pinelands since the 1980s.
                                            their buildup in the environment                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            genus, Agamia. Its species name,        while proportionally short legs           where this shy, spectacular heron
                                            and devastating effect on bees                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "Agami," comes from a Cayenne           confine the bird to shallow water.        can be seen, along with more than
                                            and other pollinators. The ban,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Indian word for a forest bird.          Agami Herons rarely wade in the           450 other species of birds, including
                                            approved in April, is set to go into                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                open, preferring to forage for small      the Endangered Black-cheeked Ant-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        In Brazil, the Agami is sometimes                                                 Tanager and Yellow-billed Cotinga.
                                            effect by the end of this year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     fish, snails, and insects while stalk-
                                                                                                                                 Greater Sage-Grouse Risk                                                                                                                                                               called Soco beija-flor, "humming-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ing along under dense cover.
                                            “ABC’s report on the impact of                                                       Intensifies — Again                                                                                                                                                                    bird heron," for its vivid plumage.                                                                  Agami Heron by Greg Homel,
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Northern Bobwhite by Larry Thompson

                                            neonics on birds found that a                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               It's also commonly known as the                                                                      Natural Elements Productions
                                                                                                                                 The Bureau of Land Management’s                                                                                                                                                        Chestnut-bellied Heron.
                                            single coated seed is enough to
                                                                                                                                 2015 Greater Sage-Grouse
                                            kill a songbird. We call on the U.S.
                                                                                                                                 conservation plans, recognized as                                                                                                                                                      Threats to the Agami Heron are
                                            Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                                                                                 an essential means of protecting                                                                                                                                                       poorly understood, but habitat loss
                                            to follow suit and restrict the use of
                                                                                                                                 this species and its habitat, are                                                                                                                                                      is probably one of the most signifi-
                                            the most dangerous neonicotinoid
                                                                                                                                 now at risk from federal proposals                                                                                                                                                     cant factors affecting this heron
                                            pesticides to protect birds and
                                                                                                                                 to revise them. These revisions                                                                                                                                                        and other birds that share its low-
                                            insects," says ABC’s Steve Holmer.
                                                                                                                                 would cancel plans to ban mining                                                                                                                                                       land habitat, including Mangrove
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Hummingbird, Great Curassow,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        and Harpy Eagle.

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SAVING
                                              a     Seashore
                                                    Sentinel
                                          Efforts to help the Reddish Egret may
                                              conserve an entire ecosystem
                                                                       By Erica Cirino

I
  t’s a warm, humid spring eve-         southern latitudes to their summer       and slender, with the distinctive
  ning on South Padre Island, a         breeding grounds farther north.          shape of an egret, but with a dark
  thin, 34-mile-long barrier island                                              belly and a rusty-colored neck. But
sheltering the southernmost tip of      As Hooded Warblers, Painted              the most notable thing about this
Texas. The skies are filling with the   Buntings, Peregrine Falcons, and         bird is how it moves.
sharp silhouettes of birds — wings,     a suite of other migratory bird
beaks, tails of all shapes and sizes    species stop at South Padre to rest      Zig-zagging back and forth on
— as they make their way from           and refuel, a solitary bird wades        long black legs, running in crazy
their wintering grounds in the          through the shallow water. It’s tall     circles, the Reddish Egret suddenly

Reddish Egret by Jeff Dyck
                                                                          B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   11
BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
breeding sites, and they are also                                                                                                                                         their wings over their heads, and
tucks in its head and raises smooth
charcoal wings over itself like an                  trying to refine their head counts
                                                                                                    The most notable                                                                                                          peering at the water as they forage
umbrella. With a sudden, precisely                  of Reddish Egrets at these loca-                                                                                                                                          for small fish such as the sheeps-
timed jab at a passing fish, the bird               tions. Better population estimates
                                                                                                 thing about this bird                                                                                                        head minnow and sometimes for
plunges its sharp pink-and-black                    can help them track progress once                                                                                                                                         tiny crustaceans, like shrimp. This
beak into the water — and emerges                   conservation measures are put                     is how it moves.                                                                                                        shadow-casting strategy reduces
with dinner.                                        into place. Their blueprint is the                                                                                                                                        glare and helps the egret more ac-
                                                    Reddish Egret Conservation Ac-                                                                                                                                            curately sight and spear its prey.
New Focus on a                                      tion Plan, developed in 2014, to
                                                    increase the world’s Reddish Egret                                                                                                                                        The Reddish Egret may suffer
Mysterious Bird
                                                    population to 7,500 breeding pairs                                                                                                                                        from the consequences of being a
In spite of the Reddish Egret’s                                                                                                                                                                                               habitat specialist, says Kelli Stone,
                                                    in about five years.
many notable characteristics, their                                                                                                                                                                                           Migratory Bird Biologist with the
lives haven’t been well studied or                  To meet this goal, the group will                                                                                                                                         U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
understood by scientists. Where do                  work on several fronts. It will man-                                                                                                                                      Southwest Region. But if the appro-
they go when they migrate? How                      age the factors that directly affect                                                                                                                                      priate conditions exist, says Stone,
far? Where are they most concen-                    Reddish Egret populations; ensure                                                                                                                                         who leads the working group, they
trated, if at all?                                  long-term stewardship and man-                                                                                                                                            appear to weather natural stressors
                                                    agement of priority breeding and                                                                                                                                          such as hurricanes and decreases
What scientists do know about the
                                                    foraging areas; implement long-                                                                                                                                           in prey abundance quite well. Re-
rarest North American egret spe-
                                                    term monitoring of egret popula-                                                                                                                                          search by Ken Meyer and scientists
cies is that its population is declin-
                                                    tions; and identify ways to better                                                                                                                                        at Florida’s Avian Research and
ing — an estimated 4,250 breeding
                                                    protect areas that are important to                                                                                                                                       Conservation Institute during Hur-
pairs exist today, down from at
                                                    Reddish Egrets.                                                                                                                                                           ricane Irma in 2017, for instance,
least twice that number in the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              found that five GPS-tagged egrets
1930s — and that the saline coastal                 For a bird whose basic biology is      Reddish Egret on the prowl. Photo by Wilfred                                                                                       survived the storm by roosting in
habitat it relies on for survival is at             still surprisingly poorly known,       Marissen, Shutterstock
                                                                                                                                          “On both their breeding and feed-      All of these factors make life dif-          mangrove forests.
major risk of destruction by human                  this sort of expansive, long-term
                                                                                           made it illegal for hunters to shoot           ing grounds, the Reddish Egret oc-     ficult for a bird that needs a very
activities.                                         vision is vital.                                                                                                                                                          But that resilience applies only if
                                                                                           the birds, but by the time the En-             cupies a fringe of coastal habitat,    specific kind of habitat to thrive.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Reddish Egrets have an “appropri-
An international coalition                          “If you have healthy habitat for a     vironmental Protection Agency                  and there is a lot of human activity
                                                                                                                                                                                 “The species is a coastal specialist,”       ate amount and quality of habi-
of local and federal agencies,                      waterbird like the Reddish Egret,      banned DDT in 1972, the entire                 in these areas,” Franco says. One of
                                                                                                                                                                                 explains Clay Green, professor of            tat” in which to live, Stone says.
nongovernmental organizations,                      you will have healthy habitat for      U.S. Reddish Egret population had              the most serious factors reducing
                                                                                                                                                                                 biology at Texas State University in         “When those habitats are drasti-
and universities spread across the                  other aquatic species,” says Jesús     nearly vanished.                               Reddish Egret survival is habitat
                                                                                                                                                                                 San Marcos, and a founding mem-              cally altered, limited, or gone, this
bird’s geographic range is turning                  Franco, ABC’s Assistant Coordina-                                                     loss caused by poorly planned tour-
                                                                                                                                                                                 ber of the working group. While              species — like other wildlife species
new scientific attention to this                    tor of the Rio Grande Joint Ven-       Legal protections have allowed the             ism and residential development.
                                                                                                                                                                                 Reddish Egrets can nest in a variety         — is much more vulnerable.”
striking species: from Laguna                       ture, one of the partners involved     species to rebound a bit in recent             Coastal engineering projects —
                                                                                           decades. But the bird’s population             such as energy development and         of settings — including bare rock,
Madre further south into Mexico                     in the international working
and Central America, throughout                                                            numbers are still below historic               dredging — and shrimp aquacul-         cacti, and mangrove — they forage            Unraveling the Mysteries
                                                    group. “It’s a species we shouldn’t
                                                                                           levels, Franco says. And it now ap-            ture are also playing a role.          only in shallow, sparsely vegetated
the Caribbean, and all along the                    lose, and we have to work together                                                                                                                                        Back in Laguna Madre in
                                                                                           pears even this modest recovery is                                                    saline coastal habitats.
Gulf of Mexico to Florida. These                    to make sure that doesn’t happen.”                                                                                                                                        Tamaulipas, Mexico, just across
                                                                                           slowing down, and the species is               Sea level rise from climate change
partners, known collectively as                                                                                                                                                  Their dependence on this specific            the water from South Padre Island,
                                                                                           once again in decline.                         is another serious threat, Franco
the Reddish Egret Working Group,                    A True Survivor                                                                                                              type of habitat likely influences            Salvador Narváez, a biologist
                                                                                                                                          says. It is difficult to predict and
are collaborating to unlock the                                                                                                                                                  their distinctive hunting behavior,          and site leader with ABC partner
                                                    Hunted during the 19th century         However, it’s no longer poisons                perhaps even more difficult to
Reddish Egret’s secrets and ensure                                                                                                                                               too. Reddish Egrets are well known           Pronatura Noreste, says the
                                                    for their handsome feathers, Red-      and hunting to blame. Humans                   control, resulting in significant
its survival.                                                                                                                                                                    in the birding world for their               organization is working with
                                                    dish Egrets have witnessed the edge    are again the culprits, but it’s new,          flooding and loss of Reddish Egret
                                                                                                                                                                                 elaborate prey-stalking behavior —           scientists in the U.S. to survey
Scientists aim to pinpoint im-                      of existence. The passage of the       modern stressors that are at the               habitat in some areas. Invasive
                                                                                                                                                                                 what Franco calls the Reddish Egret          and track Reddish Egrets outfitted
portant foraging, stopover, and                     Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918      root of the problem.                           plants and non-native predators
                                                                                                                                                                                 “crazy dance” — hopping, raising             with GPS transmitters.
                                                                                                                                          also threaten the species’ survival.

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These small, solar-powered devices                   reproduction, and foraging. The       revealed that not all Reddish Egrets                                        The Reddish Egret is a survivor,              along parts of Laguna Madre and
enable researchers to follow the                     monitoring has already helped         migrate. But those who do have a                                                                                          elsewhere in Reddish Egret habitats,
birds’ movements throughout the                      Pronatura identify five important     fairly large range — from Louisiana
                                                                                                                                                                      a specialist, and a living barometer           mangroves have been destroyed
year. Scientists strap lightweight                   Reddish Egret habitat regions in      to Guatemala, for example.                                                 of humanity’s impacts on shallow               to make way for manmade
GPS transmitters onto the egrets                     Mexico so far, shown on the map                                                                                                                                 infrastructure such as coastal
like tiny high-tech backpacks. So                    on page 15. Each has its own          Efforts to understand where these                                                 coastal ecosystems.                     shrimp farms. More mangroves
far, the researchers have outfitted                  threats that will require conserva-   birds travel are just the latest re-                                                                                      will mean more habitat for Reddish
                                                                                                                                                 Photo by Jeff Dyck
more than three dozen egrets with                    tionists to respond with specific     sults of the multinational research.                                                                                      Egrets and greater protection for
the devices, on Florida’s Sanibel                    strategies. (Pronatura recently       About a decade ago, the working                                                  Egret offers conservationists an         humans from hurricanes, storm
                                                                                                                                   particularly in the Caribbean,
Island and along Laguna Madre.                       received additional funds from        group completed a genetic study                                                  opportunity to preserve the shallow      surges, and flooding.
                                                                                                                                   where less research has been done.
The transmitters feed location data                  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service    that revealed differences in the                                                 coastal ecosystems that are so vital
                                                                                                                                   The Caribbean islands might be
back to researchers in real time.                    through the Neotropical Migratory     DNA of individuals across the                                                    to the bird’s survival. “With its        Although birders thrill to the
                                                                                                                                   an important key to Reddish Egret
                                                     Bird Conservation Act to continue     extremes of the birds’ range. This                                               strict habitat requirements, the bird    sight of this majestic and rare
                                                                                                                                   conservation.
Narváez says the research will                       work on this species in Mexico.)      research helped confirm the move-                                                is what scientists call an indicator     species, Reddish Egrets represent
identify key sites for the conserva-                                                       ments — or lack of movements —          “The idea is that Cuba may be a          species, signaling the health or         so much more than visual
tion of Reddish Egrets and provide                   The ongoing research also aims to     of certain populations of Reddish       bridge or stepping stone between         frailty of a very specific kind of       splendor. The Reddish Egret is a
greater certainty about the birds’                   explore the birds’ migratory pat-     Egrets, says Texas State University’s   eastern populations in Florida and       coastal habitat,” Rothman says.          survivor, a specialist, and a living
priority habitats for wintering,                     terns. Along with the GPS trans-      Clay Green.                             the Bahamas and central populations                                               barometer of humanity’s impacts
                                                     mitter work, visual surveys and                                               in Texas and Mexico,” says Green.        Consider the mangrove. In an             on shallow coastal ecosystems.
                                                     color banding in the U.S., Central    But he stresses that scientists need                                             attempt to shore up Reddish              That’s why Franco, Rothman, and
Reddish Egret in mangrove                                                                                                          Only research can say for sure.
by Foto Request, Shutterstock                        America, and the Caribbean have       more data to get a clearer picture,                                              Egret habitat in Laguna Madre,           their counterparts in the U.S.,
                                                                                                                                   A Bellwether for                         ABC’s Rio Grande Joint Venture’s         Mexico, Central America, and the
                                                                                                                                                                            many partners are working                Caribbean are devoting an immense
                                                                                                                                   Coastal Habitats
                                                                                                                                                                            together — and with Pronatura            amount of time and effort to fully
                                                                                                                                   Why have scientists become so keen       — to restore valuable mangrove           understand this bird, and protect it.
                                                                                                                                   to protect Reddish Egrets in the past    forests. Mangroves grow in flooded
                                                                                                                                   decade? Andrew Rothman, ABC’s            coastal swamps, protect coastlines       Kelli Stone acknowledges the coali-
                                                                                                                                   Migratory Bird Program Director,         from flood damage and erosion,           tion has its work cut out, but she’s
                                                                                                                                   says the plight of the Reddish           and shelter fish and crabs. But          hopeful. By working collaboratively,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     scientists and habitat managers may
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     be able to minimize the impact of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     these threats to levels that will al-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     low the Reddish Egret population to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     persist — and even increase.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     “If we can save it,” she says,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     “we will also be saving a whole
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ecosystem.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Learn more about the Reddish
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Egret Working Group at:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     reddishegret.org.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Erica Cirino is a free-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           lance science writer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           and artist working
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           in New York and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           internationally.

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CLOSING                                   Conservationists aim to identify which
                                                                                                     rare species still lack protected areas.

                                                             the
                                                                      GAP                            ABC
                                                                                                                          has always
                                                                                                                          made
                                                                                                                          preventing
                                                                                                     bird extinctions a top priority.
                                                                                                     We’ve made great strides
                                                                                                                                               overlooked. We are asking two key
                                                                                                                                               questions: Which bird species are
                                                                                                                                               on the brink of extinction due to
                                                                                                                                               habitat threats, but occur mainly
                                                                                                                                               outside protected areas? And where
                                                                                                     toward this goal with the help            are the most important sites that
                                                                                                     of our partners and other                 require protection to safeguard
                                                                                                     conservationists, and to date,            these overlooked species?
                                                                                                     we’ve supported the establishment
                                                                                                     of protected areas for 60 species of      According to preliminary results
                                                                                                     highly threatened birds.                  gathered by ABC researchers                 We can enable populations
                                                                                                                                               and international partners, 317
                                                                                                     In one example, the Rusty-                Endangered, Critically Endangered,         of the Americas’ rarest birds
                                                                                                     faced Parrot was downlisted               and Data Deficient bird species
                                                                                                                                               are found within ABC’s focal
                                                                                                                                                                                              to stabilize and recover.
                                                                                                     from Critically Endangered to
                                                                                                     Vulnerable, due in part to creation       geography (North America,
                                                                                                     of the Colibrí del Sol Reserve in         Central America, South America,           greatest need,” says ABC President
                                                                                                     Colombia. Our progress proves             the Caribbean, Hawai’i, and U.S.          Mike Parr. “We don’t want to
                                                                                                     that with sufficient resources and        territories in the Pacific).              overlook any critical species. It’s
                                                                                                     political will, we can reduce the                                                   hard to see the ‘holes’ when you’re
                                                                                                     threats that drive species toward         Roughly 11 percent of these 317
                                                                                                                                               species have not been seen in             looking at a list of birds, so we’re
                                                                                                     extinction. We can enable the                                                       trying fill in those gaps with this
                                                                                                     populations of the Americas’ rarest       recent years or are likely to be
                                                                                                                                               extinct, and 2 percent are species        analysis.”
                                                                                                     birds to stabilize and recover.
                                                                                                                                               of swifts and storm-petrels that we       These “gap species” can be found
                                                                                                     But our work is hardly finished.          know little about — so little, in         from the marshy outskirts of a
                                                                                                     The International Union for the           fact, that it is hard to determine        Brazilian megacity to the dry
                                                                                                     Conservation of Nature (IUCN)             their primary threats or even             forests of western Mexico. Since
                                                                                                     Red List of Threatened Species            confirm their status as Endangered.       the majority are clearly threatened
                                                                                                     still includes hundreds of bird           That leaves 87 percent, or 276            by habitat loss, one key strategy
                                                                                                     species in the Americas that are          species, needing conservation             is to protect more of their habitat
                                                                                                     classified as Endangered, Critically      action to address the threats             — at least enough to safeguard
                                                                                                     Endangered, or so poorly known            driving them toward extinction.           a potentially viable population
                                                                                                     — “Data Deficient,” in scientific                                                   of 500 individuals. If the total
                                                                                                     terms — that they may well be             By far, the most common threat to
                                                                                                                                               these species is habitat loss (79 per-    population is less than 500, we’ll
                                                                                                     Endangered too. Some of these                                                       protect as many of the surviving
                                                                                                     species are at least partially            cent), followed by invasive species
                                                                                                                                               (16 percent). Wildlife trafficking,       birds as possible. Depending on
                                                                                                     protected in reserves or benefit                                                    the species and threats, 500 may
                                                                                                     from ongoing conservation efforts;        hunting, bycatch in fisheries, per-
                                                                                                                                               secution, or combinations of other        be more than is needed to secure
                                                                                                     others are not.                                                                     the population from the threat of
                                                                                                                                               threats make up the remainder
                                                                                                     To address this disparity, ABC            (5 percent).                              immediate extinction (both the
                                                                                                     is conducting an analysis to                                                        California Condor and Whooping
                                                                                                     determine which species are being         “It’s important that we know              Crane recovered from low double-
                                                                                                                                               which species are the ones in             digit populations), but this can also
                                                                                                     LEFT: Lilacine Amazon by Steve Wilson
                                                             By Daniel Lebbin and David Wiedenfeld   TOP: Rusty-faced Parrot by Wim de Groot

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BIRDCONSERVATION - American Bird Conservancy
By working to establish new reserves for some of                          these gap species, we will help their populations stabilize and thrive.

                                                                                                                                        LILACINE AMAZON
                                                                                                                                        This parrot was recently recognized as its own species, split from
                                                                                                                                        the more widespread Red-lored Amazon; Lilacine has a less striking
                                                                                                                                        head pattern and a dark (not two-toned) bill. Lilacine Amazons
                                                                                                                                        live only in western Ecuador, congregating at communal roosts at
                                                                                                                                        night and fanning out to forage during the day.

Pale-headed Brushfinch at nest. Photo by                                                                                                Fundación Jocotoco and local researchers, with support from the
Aldo Sornoza
                                                                                                                                        U.K.-based Chester Zoo, have been studying this species to learn
act as a medium-term population                                                                                                         how we might best conserve it. They have identified the foraging
goal for the recovery of species                                                                                                        and roosting areas of what is likely the bird’s largest population.
with smaller current populations.                                                                                                       Because the dry forest roosts are unprotected and under pressure
                                                                                                                                        for agriculture, ABC and Jocotoco are fundraising to acquire these
Protecting habitat for the rarest                                                                                                       areas. We’re starting with critical roosting sites and aim to create
birds has been at the center of                                                                                                         the first reserve for this unique and colorful amazon.
ABC’s international efforts for
decades. With our partners in                                                                                                           Photo by Steve Wilson
Latin America and the Caribbean,
we’ve enhanced habitat protection
across more than one million acres
by creating reserves, establishing
easements, and restoring the
                                                                                                                                                                                        GRAY-BELLIED COMET
forests and wetlands these rare                            SÃO PAULO MARSH ANTWREN                                                                                                      The Gray-bellied Comet is one of several spectacular threatened
birds need to survive.                                                                                                                                                                  hummingbirds that live in small enclaves in northern Peru.
                                                           The reclusive São Paulo Marsh Antwren skulks around wetlands on
                                                                                                                                                                                        (The others are the Royal Sunangel, Purple-backed Sunbeam,
A perfect example is the Yunguilla                         the outskirts of Brazil’s largest city. The antwren was described by
                                                                                                                                                                                        and Marvelous Spatuletail.) A bird of arid mountain slopes and
Reserve in Ecuador, managed by                             scientists as a new species in 2013, and IUCN evaluated the species as
                                                                                                                                                                                        canyons, the comet is an important pollinator of cacti, shrubs,
our partner, Fundación Jocotoco.                           Critically Endangered in 2016. Research suggests it has likely lost more
                                                                                                                                                                                        and trees. All four of these hummingbirds are threatened by
Before the reserve was established                         than 74,000 acres of its historic habitat as a result of the conversion
                                                                                                                                                                                        habitat loss, and the comet and sunbeam occur exclusively
in 2004, the Pale-headed                                   of wetlands to agriculture and other uses. The current population
                                                                                                                                                                                        outside protected areas.
Brushfinch occurred entirely                               estimate is 250 to 300 individuals.
outside protected areas, numbered                                                                                                                                                       Working with our Peruvian partner ECOAN, ABC helped to
                                                           In 2017, ABC and our partner SAVE Brasil launched an effort with
only 30 individuals, and was                                                                                                                                                            establish the world’s only reserve for the spatuletail and engaged
                                                           Brazil’s Guararema municipality and other local conservationists to
considered Critically Endangered.                                                                                                                                                       local residents in a more widespread habitat restoration effort
                                                           establish the first protected area for a population of this species. Given
The reserve — established with                                                                                                                                                          and awareness campaign. We also supported creation of the Abra
                                                           enthusiastic local support for the effort, we hope that Guararema will
ABC support — now protects                                                                                                                                                              Patricia Reserve, which includes important habitat for the Royal
                                                           establish a series of reserves that will protect this bird throughout much
almost the entire population of the                                                                                                                                                     Sunangel. Now, we are exploring how to create additional reserves
                                                           of its small range.
brushfinch, which now numbers                                                                                                                                                           for these species — with an eye to establishing the first Gray-
more than 200 individuals. The                             Photo by Rick Elis Simpson                                                                                                   bellied Comet reserve later this year or next, along with engaging
species has been downlisted to                                                                                                                                                          local communities in habitat restoration.
Endangered as a result of this
                                                                                                                                                                                        Photo by Jacques Erard
                            continues p. 20

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From Birkenstock to NASA,
                                                            YELLOW-HEADED BRUSHFINCH and
                                                            TOLIMA DOVE                                                                                                                                                       A Push to
                                                            These two threatened species occur in the mountains of southern
                                                            Colombia and can sometimes be found in the same forests. The
                                                            Yellow-headed Brushfinch was known well into the 20th century
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Make Windows
                                                            as the Olive-headed Brushfinch; in the 1980s, additional research
                                                            and field work led to its more-colorful common name. The Tolima
                                                            Dove spends much of its time on or near the ground, searching
                                                            the forest floor for seeds, fruits, and insects, and playing a key                                                                                                SAFER for
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              BIRDS
                                                            seed dispersal role that contributes to reforestation efforts. It is
                                                            best distinguished from other closely related species by its voice
                                                            and tail pattern.

                                                            Most of the populations of both the brushfinch and the dove
                                                            occur outside existing protected areas; in the case of Tolima                                                                                                      By Meredith Swett Walker
                                                            Dove, the Colombian organization SELVA estimates that no more
                                                            than 2 percent of the dove’s range is currently within existing
                                                            protected areas. Working with SELVA, we are creating improved
                                                            maps of the dove’s range and habitat, and identifying the most
                                                            important places to protect. We’ll next hold workshops with
                                                            local communities and experts to determine the best options for
                                                                                                                                                Most of us know the signs: a dull thump, a powdery smudge, or a few
                                                            creating protected areas for these birds. It’s a great opportunity:
                                                                                                                                                tiny breast feathers stuck on the glass. A bird has hit the window.
                                                            While many of the birds in our analysis are isolated and require
                                                            separate reserves to protect stronghold populations, these two
                                                            may offer a rare opportunity to create one reserve for two species.

                                                                                                                                               S
                                                                                                                                                     cientists estimate that up to                 1 Birkenstock USA
                                                                                                                                                     a billion birds die every year                Headquarters, California
                                                            TOP: Yellow-headed Brushfinch by Bob Lewis                                               in the United States after
                                                            BOTTOM: Tolima Dove by Fundación ProAves                                                                                               At Birkenstock USA, the effort to
                                                                                                                                               colliding with window glass.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   reduce window strikes began with
                                                                                                                                               The threat is real, says ABC’s                      an employee named Kerry Burke.
                       We aim to use this analysis to fill in the protection gap                                                               Christine Sheppard, Bird Collisions                 Burke, who passed away in 2016,
                                                                                                                                               Campaign Director, but so is the                    was an accounting manager at the
                                               for the birds that need it most.
                                                                                                                                               progress we’re making to minimize                   Novato, Calif., office for more than
                                                                                                                                               the risk. “We’re starting to see a                  30 years and described herself as
sustained conservation action and                   analysis to fill in the protection gap   help us engage governments and                    real response to our efforts to make                its “official bird nerd.” The office

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Nancy Moock
continues to recover its range and                  for the birds that need it most.         other stakeholders in protecting                  people aware of the dangers that                    sits on 88 mostly undeveloped
population.                                                                                  more birds. But we cannot do it
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1
                                                                                                                                               glass can pose to birds,” she says.                 acres adjacent to a state park. Burke
                                                    It’s an exciting evolution in our        alone. Join our quest to save the                                                                     enjoyed photographing wildlife on
                                                                                                                                               “People are realizing that with
As our “gap analysis” continues,                    20-year effort to “safeguard the         hemisphere’s most threatened birds.                                                                   the property, but she was alarmed
                                                                                                                                               minimal effort, they can make                                                                  With Burke’s encouragement,
ABC and collaborators plan to                       rarest” — and one that we feel sure                                                                                                            by the number of birds hitting the
                                                                                                                                               their buildings and homes much                                                                 Birkenstock put BirdSavers up
publish a complete list of the                      will bring many more species back                                                                                                              building’s many windows.
                                                                                                                                               safer for birds. There is much                                                                 on most of the windows in the
under-protected bird species of the                 from the brink.
                                                                                                                                               more to do, of course, but we are                                                              22,000-square-foot building. The
Americas, along with maps that                                                                                                                                                                     In looking for a solution, Burke
                                                    ABC is committing matching                                                                 definitely making progress.”                                                                   modification has been nearly 100
show areas in need of protection                                                                                                                                                                   discovered Acopian BirdSavers.
                                                    funds of at least $1 million                                                                                                                                                              percent effective, says office man-
as a first line of defense against                                                                                                             The following are five facilities                   Also known as a “Zen wind cur-
                                                    toward projects that aim to                                                                                                                                                               ager Nancy Moock. People do ask
extinction. Working with scientific                                                                                                            across the country where simple                     tain,” Acopian BirdSavers consist
                                                    prevent extinctions of the most                                                                                                                                                           about the strings, she says. “When
and conservation partners and                                                                                                                  modifications have made                             of lengths of parachute cord hung
                                                    threatened birds in the Americas by                                                                                                                                                       I tell them they’re to keep birds
governments across the Western                                                                                                                 windows safer for songbirds.                        vertically and spaced four inches
                                                    protecting habitat and addressing        David Wiedenfeld (left) is Senior Conservation                                                                                                   from hitting the window, they say,
Hemisphere, we aim to use this                                                                                                                                                                     apart in front of a window.
                                                    other threats. This analysis will
                                                                                             Scientist at ABC; Daniel Lebbin (right) is Vice                                                                                                  ‘Oh! That’s great.’”
                                                                                             President of Threatened Species at ABC.

                                                                                                                                               TOP: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, one of the many bird species that collide with
20   B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018                                                                                       glass — often with fatal results. Photo by valleyboi63, Shutterstock                    B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   21


                                                                                                                                                                 Tom Ryon
2 Key West International                            cost. Sweets, meanwhile, says                                                                                                                                               Are you a homeowner, architect, developer, or just
Airport, Florida                                    he has not received any calls                                                                                                                                          interested in preventing bird collisions? Visit birdsmartglass.org
                                                    about birds colliding with the
At Key West International Air-
                                                    overpasses since the modification
port, the push began with taxicab
                                                    was completed in 2016, and on                                                                                                                                          of dots or lines, fused into it. Frit-     Matt Strausser, a wildlife biologist
drivers. Cabs wait for passengers
                                                    his periodic checks of the roadway                                                                                                                                     ting is an ancient technique that          employed at the Space Center, says

                                                                                                                                  FloridaKeysWindowTinting.com
underneath two glass pedestrian
                                                    below he hasn’t found any dead                                                                                                                                         is regaining popularity because it         that event was a wake-up call for
overpasses. During migration,
                                                    birds.                                                                                                                                                                 can be used to create aesthetically        NASA. It wasn’t only about the wel-
many birds, especially neotropical
migrants such as Northern Parulas                                                                                                                                                                                          pleasing effects, and the reduced          fare of wildlife; the collisions also
and Prairie Warblers, would hit
                                                    3 Walter E. Washington                                                                                                                                                 transparency of the glass helps            had an effect on worker morale.
the glass on the overpass and fall
                                                    Convention Center,                                                                                                                                                     keep buildings cool.
                                                    Washington, D.C.                        2                                                                                   4                                                                                     “People are walking into their
into the roadway below, where cars
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In other areas of NREL’s campus,           offices where they’re supposed to
would flatten them.                                 This sprawling structure in the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           the team got creative with their           do good quality work, and if they
                                                    heart of the nation’s capital had a

                                                                                                                                                                 Sandy Parker
“The cab drivers would come in                                                                                                                                                                                             bird-friendly designs. They                have to step over five or six dead
                                                    similar problem with a glass-walled
extremely upset because they’d see                                                                                                                                                                                         employed a product called                  wild animals that they care about,
                                                    pedestrian overpass. Volunteers
it happening,” says Tom Sweets                                                                                                                                                                                             CollideEscape that can incorporate         it’s not a great way to start the
                                                    with local organization City
of the Key West Wildlife Center, a                                                                                                                                                                                         graphics or text into window               day,” Strausser says.
                                                    Wildlife regularly walk several
local wildlife rehabilitation center.                                                                                                                                                                                      treatments. NREL used it to
                                                    miles around downtown to collect                                                                                                                                                                                  The Space Center took a number
“Most of the time when we got                                                                                                                                                                                              decorate their bus shelters with
                                                    and record birds killed in window                                                                                                                                                                                 of steps to mitigate collisions. In
there [to rescue the birds], they                                                                                                                                                                                          mountain scenes and text about
                                                    collisions and rescue stunned birds.                                                                                                                                                                              some buildings where transparency
were already run over.”                                                                                                                                                                                                    living with birds. NREL was even
                                                    They soon discovered that the                                                                                                                                                                                     seems to be the main problem,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           able to retrofit some buildings
Staff from the Wildlife Center                      2.3 million-square-foot facility’s                                                                                                                                                                                workers are asked to close their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           that proved problematic for birds,
teamed up with the Florida Keys                     L Street pedestrian overpass alone                                                                                                                                                                                blinds during migration season.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           in one instance using a product
                                                    killed an average of about 11                                                                                                                                                                                     (Although this doesn’t reduce re-

                                                                                                                                 Anne Lewis
Audubon Society to approach                                                                                                                                                                                                called Feather Friendly, featuring a
the airport’s management about                      birds per year, including Veeries,      3                                                                                   5                                          pattern of adhesive dots applied to        flections, it does help prevent some
the problem and find a solution.                    American Redstarts, and Yellow-                                                                                                                                                                                   collisions.) On other buildings with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           the exterior of the glass.
“Thanks to ABC’s Bird-friendly                      bellied Sapsuckers.                                                                                                                                                                                               newer, more-reflective glass, the
Building Design booklet, we had a                                                          of 2016, there has been an 82                                                            4 National Renewable                   Ryon monitored bird strikes at the         center has applied vinyl cutouts to
document in hand to show which                       Thanks to ABC's Bird-                percent reduction in bird strikes
                                                                                           at the overpass, says City Wildlife
                                                                                                                                                                                    Energy Laboratory,
                                                                                                                                                                                    Colorado
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           windows before they were retro-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           fitted and for two migration sea-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      break up the reflections.
techniques would not work (ve-
netian blinds) and which would
                                                    friendly Building Design               President Anne Lewis, but no                                                                                                    sons afterward. He found that the          The efforts have paid off. Strausser
                                                                                                                                                                                    When the National Renewable                                                       has conducted detailed monitor-
(striping on the glass),” says Mark                                                        change in frequency of strikes                                                                                                  number of birds killed each season
                                                    booklet, we had a document                                                                                                      Energy Laboratory (NREL) cam-                                                     ing of bird strikes, and since 2012,
Hedden, Executive Director of the                                                          on other, untreated parts of the                                                                                                dropped from 15 to 20 fatalities
                                                                                                                                                                                    pus in Golden, Colo., saw a surge                                                 they’ve decreased by about 85
Florida Keys Audubon Society.                       in hand to show which                  building.                                                                                                                       down to one, or sometimes none.
                                                                                                                                                                                    of construction roughly a decade                                                  percent.
                                                    techniques would work.                 The film is surprisingly unobtru-                                                        ago, Tom Ryon, the facility’s se-
Eventually they settled on Solyx                                                                                                                                                                                           5 Johnson Space Center,
                                                                                           sive. Soon after the Convention                                                          nior wildlife biologist, played an                                                Closing blinds and applying bird-
Horizontal Bird Safety Film. The                                                                                                                                                                                           Texas
                                                    City Wildlife, which provides          Center decided to purchase the                                                           active role. Ryon anticipated that                                                deterrent patterns to windows was
durable film, applied to the outside
                                                    wildlife rescue and rehabilitation     Solyx film, Lewis, an architect,                                                         bird strikes would be a problem for    With its 1,600 acres of mostly             inexpensive and “really doesn’t
of windows, has unobtrusive gray
                                                    in the Washington area and runs        was attending an American Insti-                                                         some of the planned labs, bus shel-    undeveloped land near the Gulf             impact our operations,” Strausser
lines that are visible to birds. Tests
                                                    the Lights Out DC program, shared      tute of Architects convention at                                                         ters, and other structures, which      of Mexico, NASA’s Johnson Space            says. “It was a clear win for us.”
performed by ABC and reports
                                                    the findings with the Convention       the facility. Solyx had a vendor’s                                                       featured large amounts of reflective   Center is prime habitat for neo-           And also for the birds.
from the field show that the film is
                                                    Center management. The group           booth there, and Lewis asked the                                                         glass. So he advocated for bird-       tropical migrants. A handful of the
highly effective at preventing win-
                                                    urged the management to apply a        company’s representative when the                                                        friendly designs to be incorporated.   center’s buildings had problems
dow collisions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Meredith Swett
                                                    glass treatment to remediate the       Convention Center planned to ap-                                                                                                with bird strikes. Some have been
                                                                                                                                                                                    For instance, a “fritted” glass made                                                                       Walker is a science
The airport applied the film to                     problem.                               ply the film to the overpass.                                                                                                   significant: In 2012, dozens of                                     writer based in
                                                                                                                                                                                    by Viracon was used in some new
the glass on both pedestrian                                                                                                                                                                                               Indigo Buntings died in one night                                   western Colorado.
                                                    The Convention Center chose            It was already installed, he told                                                        structures. Fritted glass has a ce-
overpasses. Airport Director Don                                                                                                                                                                                           when an entire flock struck
                                                    Solyx Vertical Bird Safety Film.       her. “I had been walking by it and                                                       ramic pattern, usually consisting
DeGraw reports that the Bird                                                                                                                                                                                               a window.
Safety Film was “well worth” its                    Since it was applied in the fall       not even noticing it,” Lewis says.

22   B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018                                                                                                                                                                                                       B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   23
Into the Cerrado                       Where there are plants, there tend
                                                                                                                                                                       to be birds, and the Cerrado is no
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Thirty of the region’s
                                                                                                                                Named for its dense vegetation —
                                                                                                                                                                       exception: 850 or more bird species           bird species are found
                                                                                                                                the word cerrado literally means
                                                                                                                                                                       inhabit these tropical grasslands
                                                                                                                                “closed” — the Cerrado stretches
                                                                                                                                                                       and scattered forests. The Blue-              nowhere else on Earth,
                                                                                                                                across 1.2 million square miles of
                                                                                                                                                                       eyed Ground-Dove is just one of
                                                                                                                                central Brazil, an area three times
                                                                                                                                                                       the rarities. Thirty of the region’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    including the Cinereous
                                                                                                                                the size of Texas. It’s one of the
                                                                                                                                                                       bird species are found nowhere else                 Warbling-Finch.
                                                                                                                                most biologically rich savannas in
                                                                                                                                                                       on Earth, including the Cinereous
                                                                                                                                the world. Visualize giant anteaters
                                                                                                                                                                       Warbling-Finch.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photo by Fabio Rage
                                                                                                                                ambling through the grasslands,
                                                                                                                                Greater Rheas chasing each other       This place is important to people as
                                                                                                                                across the plains, and noisy groups    well as to wildlife — for example,
                                                                                                                                of Toco Toucans following one          as a source of water. The vast ma-
                                                                                                                                another from tree to tree, and         jority of Brazilians use electricity
                                                                                                                                you’ll just skim the surface of this   generated by water originating in
                                                                                                                                astounding place.                      the Cerrado.

                                                                                                                                The Cerrado’s botanical life is        It’s a vital region for agricul-
                                                                                                                                one measure of its greatness, with     ture too. Since the 1960s, huge
                                                                                                                                11,000 species of plants, half         swaths of the Cerrado have been
                                                                                                                                found nowhere else in the world.       plowed for large-scale agricultural

BLUE-EYED HOPE:
Second Chance for a Brazilian Rarity
By Clare Nielsen

A
            t first glance, it may not appear to be appealing bird habitat. The newly
            established Botumirim State Park is 80 percent barren rock outcrops. But
            tucked into small pockets of the park’s tropical savanna, or Cerrado, habitat
are the world’s only known populations of Blue-eyed Ground-Dove. This blue-spotted,
azure-eyed bird is thought to number only 20 individuals — granted, a small number,
but one that signifies much better prospects for the species than even the most
optimistic conservationist could have hoped for a few years ago.

                                                           TOP: Blue-eyed Ground-Doves by João Sérgio Barros Freitas de Souza
                                                           RIGHT: Rocky terrain in the new park where the ground-dove
                                                           was rediscovered. Photo by SAVE Brasil

24   B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018                                                                                                                                                 B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018   25
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