Bird Conservation, Summer/Fall 2018 by abcbirds

BIRDCONSERVATION The Magazine of American Bird Conservancy

SUMMER/FALL 2018

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Completing the Jigsaw of Endangered Bird Conservation

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines. Thanks to the encouragement of then-ABC Board Chair, Ken Berlin, a group of us came together to map out such sites across the Earth’s surface. This group included Tom Brooks and John Lamoreux in particular, who were then working with Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund respectively. This initiative morphed into the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), which has since gained international prominence as a means of identifying and protecting irreplaceable sites for the most endangered species worldwide.

birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest

better-protected, single-site endemic species that AZE highlights.

was worried about the direction of international conservation. The year was 2000, and a race seemed to be on to see who could protect the largest area for the least amount of money. Priority areas were getting bigger and bigger, from the Amazon to the Coral Triangle, Yellowstone to the Yukon. All were vitally important efforts for biodiversity conservation, but what worried me as a birder and conservationist was that there’s always that one place. The best place — and often a small place — to see whichever rare species you are seeking. Those sorts of places, whether they’re on a particular slope of a mountain in Colombia or a certain patch of wetland in Brazil, aren’t well conserved by large-scale approaches. They need very specific site-based conservation.

ABC is dedicated to conserving

We’re trying to identify and conserve sufficient sites to save populations of each and every Endangered or Critically Endangered bird species in the Western Hemisphere. ABC continues to chair the initiative, and it has accomplished great things. For example, the Millerbird was removed from the AZE list in 2018 following its successful establishment on a second Hawaiian island. I’m very proud of what ABC and AZE have accomplished. But I’m still worried. That’s because AZE focuses exclusively on Endangered and Critically Endangered species found only at single sites. But what about the unprotected Endangered species found at two, three, or a handful of sites? The threats these species face may be even more urgent than some of the

That’s where ABC’s new “gap analysis” comes in. (See article, p. 16.) In this story, you will see how ABC is working to build on AZE and complete the jigsaw of conservation for all Endangered birds in the Americas. We’re trying to identify and conserve sufficient sites to save populations of each and every Endangered or Critically Endangered bird species in the Western Hemisphere. Once this work is complete, we will have created a robust line of defense against the most imminent and predictable bird extinctions. I believe these barriers against extinction can hold for a generation or more as we adapt to a changing planet and develop new conservation technology and delivery mechanisms. At ABC, we are constantly balancing “going deep” to sustain the protection of areas where we are already active, and “going wide” to conserve new places that desperately need help. With your support we can do both more effectively — and we can all worry less about the future of our rarest birds! With sincere thanks,

problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation.

A copy of the current financial statement and registration filed by the organization may be obtained by contacting: ABC, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198. 540-253-5780, or by contacting the following state agencies: Florida: Division of Consumer Services, toll-free number within the state: 800-435-7352. Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage: Office of the Secretary of State, Statehouse, Annapolis, MD 21401. New Jersey: Attorney General, State of New Jersey: 201-504-6259. New York: Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. Pennsylvania: Department of State, toll-free number within the state: 800-732-0999. Virginia: State Division of Consumer Affairs, Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209. West Virginia: Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by any state. Bird Conservation is the magazine of ABC and is published three times yearly for members.

Senior Editor: Libby Sander VP of Communications: Clare Nielsen Graphic Design: Gemma Radko Contributors: Jane Fitzgerald, Bennett Hennessey, Steve Holmer, Brad Keitt, Daniel Lebbin, Jack Morrison, Merrie Morrison, Hannah Nevins, Mike Parr, Chris Sheppard, Grant Sizemore, David Wiedenfeld For more information contact: American Bird Conservancy 4249 Loudoun Avenue, P.O. Box 249 The Plains, VA 20198 540-253-5780 • info@abcbirds.org

Join us online! Michael J. Parr, President American Bird Conservancy

Summer/Fall 2018

BIRDCONSERVATION 10 Saving the Reddish Egret,

a Seashore Sentinel

16 Closing the Gap: Helping

Under-Protected Bird Species

21 From Birkenstock to NASA, a Push

to Make Windows Safer for Birds

24 Hope for a Blue-eyed

Brazilian Rarity DEPARTMENTS

2 4

Bird’s Eye View

9 31

Species Profile

On the Wire

Final Glimpse

Black-capped Vireo chicks. This species has shown encouraging signs of recovery and was removed from the Endangered Species list in April 2018. Photo by Cameron Rutt

TOP: Yellow-headed Brushfinch, an Endangered species, is found only in a small area of Colombia and is in urgent need of conservation attention. Photo by Fundación ProAves, www.proaves.org

abcbirds.org COVER: Blue-eyed Ground-Dove by Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding TOP: Nihoa Millerbird by Robby Kohley

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

ON the WIRE

Twenty-first Century Cat Care Benefits Cats and Birds

esting storm-petrels are notoriously difficult to locate, and the Endangered Black-capped Petrel is no exception. Like similar species such as the Hawaiian Petrel, this Caribbean endemic is nocturnal at its colony sites. Known locally as diablotín, or “little devil,” for its eerie nocturnal calls, the bird nests underground in well-hidden burrows, usually on steep hillsides amid heavy vegetative cover. Finding a Black-capped Petrel nest is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Despite these challenges, biologists in the Dominican Republic, with support from ABC, continue to discover nest sites and learn more about what needs to be done to protect the species. One step forward took place in May 2017, when researchers discovered a new nesting site in Valle Nuevo National Park in the Dominican Republic, which represents the easternmost confirmed nesting location for Black-capped Petrels on the island.

Tazio Taveres

Keen Sense of Smell Leads to Black-capped Petrel Discovery

Led by Ernst Rupp of Grupo Jaragua, the field team also included biologists José Luis Castillo, Gersón Feliz, Jairo Isaa Arache, and Manuel Alejandro Doleo. The discovery was the result of several years of effort and was guided by prior radar and acoustic surveys by Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). But ultimately, it was Gersón’s keen sense of smell that led the group to the musky-smelling seabird burrow. In early 2018, biologists returned to the nesting site to find a

Discovery of the first nest in Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic by José Luis Castillo (left) and Gersón Feliz (right), who followed his nose to the burrow entrance. Photo by Grupo Jaragua

B I R D CO N S E R V A TI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

In other news, additional nesting sites may soon be found elsewhere: Recent radar surveys by EPIC show what appear to be petrels flying into Morne Diablotín, the highest peak on the island of Dominica. The International Black-capped Petrel Working Group, coordinated by BirdsCaribbean, has been a key partner in guiding conservation actions for this species. This work was supported in part by the Disney Conservation Fund, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

ABC supporters and their cats (or Feline Ambassadors, as we’re calling them) are helping us spread the word. One of these duos, Christiana Viscusi and her cat, Louie, are demonstrating new products — cat strollers, harnesses, backpacks, and more — to illustrate what being a cat owner looks like in the 21st century.

a leash or in a backpack, and more recently, stroller rides. “Many people think it’s not fair for them to not be free outside,” Viscusi continues. “But I think it’s not fair to put them in harm’s way. Louie’s safety is my priority.”

Louie safely explores the great outdoors. Photo by Christiana Viscusi

“Responsible cat care means something different than it did in our parents’ generation,” says Viscusi. “Now we know how unsafe it is for cats to roam unsupervised. And we also know that they can harm native wildlife at the same time. All of my cats have been indoor cats that go on outdoor adventures on

The campaign features stories and tips on ABC’s Bird Calls blog (abcbirds.org/birdcalls) and social media accounts. (You can easily find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.) We’re also asking pet owners to take action by signing our pledge to keep cats and birds safe.

Please sign and share our pledge: abcbirds.org/action/cats-pledge

JOIN OUR QUEST to SAVE the RAREST Preventing bird extinctions is at the heart of our mission. With our international partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, we’ve made great strides, protecting 60 species of highly threatened birds by creating reserves, establishing easements, and restoring habitats across more than a million acres. We need to do more. Hundreds of bird species in the Americas are threatened with extinction, and in the coming year ABC is committing an additional $1 million or more to projects to protect their habitats and address other threats. But we can’t

do it alone. Will you join our quest to save the hemisphere’s most threatened birds by donating today?

Gray-bellied Comet by Björn Anderson

“We were very excited to have finally found an active nest in Valle Nuevo,” says Yolanda León, President of Grupo Jaragua, one of ABC’s partner organizations in the Dominican Republic. “Cordillera Central is a vast mountain range with a number of large protected areas, and the petrels’ presence there, even in low numbers, could greatly improve their conservation outlook in Hispaniola.”

handful of feathers at the burrow’s entrance. Trail cameras revealed that a non-native mongoose — a known predator of the petrel — had raided the burrow. Despite this setback, the team hopes to find other nests in the area and will continue to work with Valle Nuevo National Park to develop a protection strategy for the site.

e all know people who let their cats wander, perhaps unaware of the impact of free-roaming felines on wildlife. This summer, ABC launched the Happy Cats, Healthy Birds Campaign to help pet owners make the transition to a lifestyle that’s better for both cats and birds. (Visit: abcbirds.org/ catio-solutions-cats.)

We know that with strong partnerships, sufficient resources, and political will, we can stabilize and recover the populations of the rarest birds. The increase in numbers of Rusty-faced Parrots in Colombia and Lear’s Macaws in Brazil attest to that. Still, the conservation needs of so many other bird species are great.

Lilacine Amazon in Ecuador and the Gray-bellied Comet in Peru.

Please give today. You will help ABC fill in those gaps and help us protect other threatened birds, including the

Please use the enclosed envelope to make an additional gift, or give online: abcbirds.org/donate

B I R D CON SE R V A T IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

ON the WIRE Endangered Species Act Rollbacks Take Aim at Threatened Species

ABC, Other Conservation Groups Sue to Protect Migratory Birds

ABC

n the latest in a string of environmental rollbacks, the U.S. Department of the Interior proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act on July 18, establishing a 60-day period for comments. Among the changes are elimination of blanket protection — known as the “4d rule” — for species listed as “Threatened.” “Under these changes, birds and other species listed as Threatened in the coming years would not be protected from all threats and could be killed or harmed,” says Steve Holmer, ABC’s Vice President for Policy. “Several birds listed as Threatened under the ESA — the Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl in particular — owe their current existence in large part to the ESA’s blanket 4d rule. The change will mean that species listed as Threatened under the Act will not automatically receive the same protection as Endangered species. This will

likely result in some Threatened species continuing to decline toward endangerment instead of recovery.” Another change would allow for economic analyses to be included in decisions about listing species under the ESA, while the current process strictly adheres to science and explicitly forbids inclusion of economic considerations. “We’re concerned that the inclusion of economic factors will invite political interference,” says Holmer. “Unfortunately, the benefits of wildlife conservation — which provide billions of dollars to the economy in the form of birdwatching and other activities that depend on healthy landscapes — are often undervalued. “Maintaining the existing science-based listing process is crucial to conserve declining bird populations,” Holmer adds. “Just this decade, seven new populations

Maintaining the existing science-based listing process is crucial to conserve declining bird populations. of birds were listed under the ESA. If slanted economic analysis were included, it is likely that some of these species — such as the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red Knot, and Gunnison Sage-Grouse — would not have been granted ESA protection due to political interference. We’re urging that the existing science-based listing process be retained.” TOP: Marbled Murrelets by Tim Zurowski, Shutterstock

and a coalition of conservation organizations have sued the U.S. Department of the Interior over an abrupt policy reversal concerning one of the nation’s most important environmental laws. The lawsuit, filed on May 24 in U.S. District Court in New York, alleges that Interior violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Administrative Procedures Act, and National Environmental Policy Act by issuing a legal opinion late last year that effectively releases industries from any liability under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act related to “incidental take” — bird deaths that are not deliberate but nevertheless are predictable and preventable. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), enacted in 1918, is an essential component of U.S. bird conservation. Its prohibition on the killing of migratory birds has long been understood to extend beyond illegal hunting to include industrial activities. The law is

credited with bringing hundreds of species back from the brink of extinction, including the Wood Duck, Eastern Bluebird, and Sandhill Crane. In December 2017, the current Administration reversed decades of policy and practice — implemented under both Democratic and Republican administrations — that determine how the MBTA is implemented and enforced. Under the new interpretation, the MBTA’s protections will apply only to activities that purposefully kill birds. Companies whose industrial activities cause unintentional deaths — birds that perish in uncovered toxic oil pits, for instance — are no longer liable under the law, no matter how inevitable or devastating the impact on birds. In response, ABC and several other environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife

Federation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a lawsuit challenging this move to eliminate longstanding legal protections for birds. “The Administration’s new policy makes it much harder to protect birds from threats like oil pits, wind turbines, and communication towers in migration hotspots,” says Mike Parr, President of ABC. “Leaving these threats unattended is like leaving manhole covers off the sidewalk during rush hour — it’s negligent, irresponsible, and guaranteed to cause harm.” The risk of liability under the MBTA has long provided industries with an incentive to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to minimize bird deaths. The Administration’s new policy eliminates this incentive, putting already-declining populations of songbirds and other migratory birds at additional risk.

Please help protect the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by signing ABC’s petition: abcbirds.org/action/ petition-mbta

Sandhill Cranes by Sumikophoto, Shutterstock

Icebreaker Battle Continues on Lake Erie

ABC

and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) continue to raise concerns about the potential for Lake Erie’s first proposed offshore wind project, “Icebreaker,” to have a devastating impact on birds. BSBO’s Don Bauman and Mark Shieldcastle spoke at a public hearing before the Cleveland City Council on July 19, pointing out deficiencies in the project’s draft environmental assessment (EA).

“We reject the EA’s claim that this wind energy facility would have ‘little to no impact’” on birds, says Kimberly Kaufman, BSBO’s Executive Director, citing the critical importance of Lake Erie to migratory birds such as the Endangered Kirtland’s Warbler. Millions of birds pass through the Lake Erie area on their way north to breeding grounds in the boreal forest. ABC’s Steve Holmer calls the six-turbine Icebreaker project a

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

Under the new interpretation, the MBTA’s protections will apply only to activities that “foot in the door” strategy that could set the stage for a far larger 1,000-turbine project on Lake Erie in the future. “We support Bird-Smart Wind Energy, which is all about putting turbines in the places where impact on birds can be minimized,” Holmer says. “But choosing Lake Erie as a place for turbines is about as bad as it gets from a bird conservation perspective.”

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.

SPECIES PROFILE

Rediscovery of Belem Curassow

Improved Conservation Status for Two Endangered Birds

After a 40-year absence, Brazilian researchers rediscovered the Critically Endangered Belem Curassow. The research team, searching in the Gurupi Biological Reserve in northeastern Brazil, found the bird in the wild in December 2017. The turkey-sized black bird, formerly considered a subspecies of Bare-faced Curassow, was last seen in the wild in 1978.

European Union Bans Neonics The European Union has banned nearly all uses of three neonicotinoid pesticides due to their buildup in the environment and devastating effect on bees and other pollinators. The ban, approved in April, is set to go into effect by the end of this year.

Greater Sage-Grouse Risk Intensifies — Again The Bureau of Land Management’s 2015 Greater Sage-Grouse conservation plans, recognized as an essential means of protecting this species and its habitat, are now at risk from federal proposals to revise them. These revisions would cancel plans to ban mining

B I R D CO N S E R V A TI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

Unusual for birds, both male and female Agami Herons flaunt colorful plumage during the breeding season. Both sexes also show heightened color in the lores (the fleshy area between the base of the bill and front of the eyes), which turn an intense red during courtship. Males and females “dance” together in a spectacular plumeshaking, bill-snapping display. Recent fieldwork has found that Agami Herons, like Reddish Egrets and many other waterbirds, nest in colonies. The birds hide their nests, a loose platform of sticks, within the forest canopy.

Speak out for continued protection for the Greater SageGrouse: abcbirds.org/action/ petition-sage-grouse

Conserving Agami Herons in Costa Rica

Bobwhite Recovery Efforts Proving Successful

he Agami Heron is a coveted sighting for birders visiting flooded lowland forests and slow-moving waterways of Central and South America. This longbilled, medium-sized heron is so distinctive that it occupies its own genus, Agamia. Its species name, "Agami," comes from a Cayenne Indian word for a forest bird.

Northern Bobwhite by Larry Thompson

“ABC’s report on the impact of neonics on birds found that a single coated seed is enough to kill a songbird. We call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to follow suit and restrict the use of the most dangerous neonicotinoid pesticides to protect birds and insects," says ABC’s Steve Holmer.

activity on about 10 million acres of prime sage-grouse habitat while expanding oil and gas leasing across the declining species’ range.

New Jersey Audubon and partners have reached a milestone in efforts to restore Northern Bobwhite to the New Jersey Pinelands, where this species was once common. Since 2015, 320 quail have been released and 39 nests have been found, with the first confirmed nesting of bobwhite recorded in the Pinelands since the 1980s.

Black-capped Vireo by Greg Lavaty

Captive Belem Curassow by Emanuel Barreto

Two birds listed under the Endangered Species Act have shown such encouraging signs of recovery that one species has been delisted and another may shortly follow. Black-capped Vireo was removed from the Endangered Species list in April. Kirtland's Warbler, whose population has increased fivefold since the early 1950s, was proposed for delisting in April. A final decision could come later this year. (See story, p. 30.)

Equal Opportunity Courtship Agami Heron by Glenn Bartley, www.glennbartley.com

BIRDS in BRIEF

Greater Sage-Grouse by Kerry Hargrove, Shutterstock

Speak out in support of restrictions on neonicotinoid use in the U.S.: abcbirds.org/action/ petition-neonics

In Brazil, the Agami is sometimes called Soco beija-flor, "hummingbird heron," for its vivid plumage. It's also commonly known as the Chestnut-bellied Heron.

Undercover Fisherman This heron specializes in fishing from river banks or branches overhanging the water. Its long neck and dagger-like bill — the longest of any New World heron's — gives the Agami a significant striking range, while proportionally short legs confine the bird to shallow water. Agami Herons rarely wade in the open, preferring to forage for small fish, snails, and insects while stalking along under dense cover.

The Agami Heron is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, based on predictions of future habitat loss in lowland forests, particularly throughout the Amazon region. In Costa Rica, ABC partner Osa Conservation protects several properties in the Osa Peninsula where this shy, spectacular heron can be seen, along with more than 450 other species of birds, including the Endangered Black-cheeked AntTanager and Yellow-billed Cotinga. Agami Heron by Greg Homel, Natural Elements Productions

Threats to the Agami Heron are poorly understood, but habitat loss is probably one of the most significant factors affecting this heron and other birds that share its lowland habitat, including Mangrove Hummingbird, Great Curassow, and Harpy Eagle. B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

SAVING a

Seashore Sentinel

Efforts to help the Reddish Egret may conserve an entire ecosystem By Erica Cirino

t’s a warm, humid spring evening on South Padre Island, a thin, 34-mile-long barrier island sheltering the southernmost tip of Texas. The skies are filling with the sharp silhouettes of birds — wings, beaks, tails of all shapes and sizes — as they make their way from their wintering grounds in the

Reddish Egret by Jeff Dyck

southern latitudes to their summer breeding grounds farther north. As Hooded Warblers, Painted Buntings, Peregrine Falcons, and a suite of other migratory bird species stop at South Padre to rest and refuel, a solitary bird wades through the shallow water. It’s tall

and slender, with the distinctive shape of an egret, but with a dark belly and a rusty-colored neck. But the most notable thing about this bird is how it moves. Zig-zagging back and forth on long black legs, running in crazy circles, the Reddish Egret suddenly

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

tucks in its head and raises smooth charcoal wings over itself like an umbrella. With a sudden, precisely timed jab at a passing fish, the bird plunges its sharp pink-and-black beak into the water — and emerges with dinner.

New Focus on a Mysterious Bird In spite of the Reddish Egret’s many notable characteristics, their lives haven’t been well studied or understood by scientists. Where do they go when they migrate? How far? Where are they most concentrated, if at all? What scientists do know about the rarest North American egret species is that its population is declining — an estimated 4,250 breeding pairs exist today, down from at least twice that number in the 1930s — and that the saline coastal habitat it relies on for survival is at major risk of destruction by human activities. An international coalition of local and federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and universities spread across the bird’s geographic range is turning new scientific attention to this striking species: from Laguna Madre further south into Mexico and Central America, throughout the Caribbean, and all along the Gulf of Mexico to Florida. These partners, known collectively as the Reddish Egret Working Group, are collaborating to unlock the Reddish Egret’s secrets and ensure its survival. Scientists aim to pinpoint important foraging, stopover, and

breeding sites, and they are also trying to refine their head counts of Reddish Egrets at these locations. Better population estimates can help them track progress once conservation measures are put into place. Their blueprint is the Reddish Egret Conservation Action Plan, developed in 2014, to increase the world’s Reddish Egret population to 7,500 breeding pairs in about five years.

their wings over their heads, and peering at the water as they forage for small fish such as the sheepshead minnow and sometimes for tiny crustaceans, like shrimp. This shadow-casting strategy reduces glare and helps the egret more accurately sight and spear its prey.

The most notable thing about this bird is how it moves.

The Reddish Egret may suffer from the consequences of being a habitat specialist, says Kelli Stone, Migratory Bird Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region. But if the appropriate conditions exist, says Stone, who leads the working group, they appear to weather natural stressors such as hurricanes and decreases in prey abundance quite well. Research by Ken Meyer and scientists at Florida’s Avian Research and Conservation Institute during Hurricane Irma in 2017, for instance, found that five GPS-tagged egrets survived the storm by roosting in mangrove forests.

To meet this goal, the group will work on several fronts. It will manage the factors that directly affect Reddish Egret populations; ensure long-term stewardship and management of priority breeding and foraging areas; implement longterm monitoring of egret populations; and identify ways to better protect areas that are important to Reddish Egrets. For a bird whose basic biology is still surprisingly poorly known, this sort of expansive, long-term vision is vital. “If you have healthy habitat for a waterbird like the Reddish Egret, you will have healthy habitat for other aquatic species,” says Jesús Franco, ABC’s Assistant Coordinator of the Rio Grande Joint Venture, one of the partners involved in the international working group. “It’s a species we shouldn’t lose, and we have to work together to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

A True Survivor Hunted during the 19th century for their handsome feathers, Reddish Egrets have witnessed the edge of existence. The passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

Reddish Egret on the prowl. Photo by Wilfred Marissen, Shutterstock

made it illegal for hunters to shoot the birds, but by the time the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT in 1972, the entire U.S. Reddish Egret population had nearly vanished. Legal protections have allowed the species to rebound a bit in recent decades. But the bird’s population numbers are still below historic levels, Franco says. And it now appears even this modest recovery is slowing down, and the species is once again in decline. However, it’s no longer poisons and hunting to blame. Humans are again the culprits, but it’s new, modern stressors that are at the root of the problem.

“On both their breeding and feeding grounds, the Reddish Egret occupies a fringe of coastal habitat, and there is a lot of human activity in these areas,” Franco says. One of the most serious factors reducing Reddish Egret survival is habitat loss caused by poorly planned tourism and residential development. Coastal engineering projects — such as energy development and dredging — and shrimp aquaculture are also playing a role. Sea level rise from climate change is another serious threat, Franco says. It is difficult to predict and perhaps even more difficult to control, resulting in significant flooding and loss of Reddish Egret habitat in some areas. Invasive plants and non-native predators also threaten the species’ survival.

All of these factors make life difficult for a bird that needs a very specific kind of habitat to thrive. “The species is a coastal specialist,” explains Clay Green, professor of biology at Texas State University in San Marcos, and a founding member of the working group. While Reddish Egrets can nest in a variety of settings — including bare rock, cacti, and mangrove — they forage only in shallow, sparsely vegetated saline coastal habitats. Their dependence on this specific type of habitat likely influences their distinctive hunting behavior, too. Reddish Egrets are well known in the birding world for their elaborate prey-stalking behavior — what Franco calls the Reddish Egret “crazy dance” — hopping, raising

But that resilience applies only if Reddish Egrets have an “appropriate amount and quality of habitat” in which to live, Stone says. “When those habitats are drastically altered, limited, or gone, this species — like other wildlife species — is much more vulnerable.”

Unraveling the Mysteries Back in Laguna Madre in Tamaulipas, Mexico, just across the water from South Padre Island, Salvador Narváez, a biologist and site leader with ABC partner Pronatura Noreste, says the organization is working with scientists in the U.S. to survey and track Reddish Egrets outfitted with GPS transmitters.

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

These small, solar-powered devices enable researchers to follow the birds’ movements throughout the year. Scientists strap lightweight GPS transmitters onto the egrets like tiny high-tech backpacks. So far, the researchers have outfitted more than three dozen egrets with the devices, on Florida’s Sanibel Island and along Laguna Madre. The transmitters feed location data back to researchers in real time. Narváez says the research will identify key sites for the conservation of Reddish Egrets and provide greater certainty about the birds’ priority habitats for wintering, Reddish Egret in mangrove by Foto Request, Shutterstock

reproduction, and foraging. The monitoring has already helped Pronatura identify five important Reddish Egret habitat regions in Mexico so far, shown on the map on page 15. Each has its own threats that will require conservationists to respond with specific strategies. (Pronatura recently received additional funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act to continue work on this species in Mexico.) The ongoing research also aims to explore the birds’ migratory patterns. Along with the GPS transmitter work, visual surveys and color banding in the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean have

The Reddish Egret is a survivor,

revealed that not all Reddish Egrets migrate. But those who do have a fairly large range — from Louisiana to Guatemala, for example. Efforts to understand where these birds travel are just the latest results of the multinational research. About a decade ago, the working group completed a genetic study that revealed differences in the DNA of individuals across the extremes of the birds’ range. This research helped confirm the movements — or lack of movements — of certain populations of Reddish Egrets, says Texas State University’s Clay Green. But he stresses that scientists need more data to get a clearer picture,

a specialist, and a living barometer of humanity’s impacts on shallow coastal ecosystems. Photo by Jeff Dyck

particularly in the Caribbean, where less research has been done. The Caribbean islands might be an important key to Reddish Egret conservation. “The idea is that Cuba may be a bridge or stepping stone between eastern populations in Florida and the Bahamas and central populations in Texas and Mexico,” says Green. Only research can say for sure.

A Bellwether for Coastal Habitats Why have scientists become so keen to protect Reddish Egrets in the past decade? Andrew Rothman, ABC’s Migratory Bird Program Director, says the plight of the Reddish

Egret offers conservationists an opportunity to preserve the shallow coastal ecosystems that are so vital to the bird’s survival. “With its strict habitat requirements, the bird is what scientists call an indicator species, signaling the health or frailty of a very specific kind of coastal habitat,” Rothman says. Consider the mangrove. In an attempt to shore up Reddish Egret habitat in Laguna Madre, ABC’s Rio Grande Joint Venture’s many partners are working together — and with Pronatura — to restore valuable mangrove forests. Mangroves grow in flooded coastal swamps, protect coastlines from flood damage and erosion, and shelter fish and crabs. But

along parts of Laguna Madre and elsewhere in Reddish Egret habitats, mangroves have been destroyed to make way for manmade infrastructure such as coastal shrimp farms. More mangroves will mean more habitat for Reddish Egrets and greater protection for humans from hurricanes, storm surges, and flooding. Although birders thrill to the sight of this majestic and rare species, Reddish Egrets represent so much more than visual splendor. The Reddish Egret is a survivor, a specialist, and a living barometer of humanity’s impacts on shallow coastal ecosystems. That’s why Franco, Rothman, and their counterparts in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are devoting an immense amount of time and effort to fully understand this bird, and protect it. Kelli Stone acknowledges the coalition has its work cut out, but she’s hopeful. By working collaboratively, scientists and habitat managers may be able to minimize the impact of these threats to levels that will allow 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 freelance science writer and artist working in New York and internationally.

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

CLOSING the

GAP

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

ABC

has always made preventing bird extinctions a top priority. We’ve made great strides toward this goal with the help of our partners and other conservationists, and to date, we’ve supported the establishment of protected areas for 60 species of highly threatened birds. In one example, the Rustyfaced Parrot was downlisted from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable, due in part to creation of the Colibrí del Sol Reserve in Colombia. Our progress proves that with sufficient resources and political will, we can reduce the threats that drive species toward extinction. We can enable the populations of the Americas’ rarest birds to stabilize and recover. But our work is hardly finished. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species still includes hundreds of bird species in the Americas that are classified as Endangered, Critically Endangered, or so poorly known — “Data Deficient,” in scientific terms — that they may well be Endangered too. Some of these species are at least partially protected in reserves or benefit from ongoing conservation efforts; others are not. To address this disparity, ABC is conducting an analysis to determine which species are being

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 are the most important sites that require protection to safeguard these overlooked species? According to preliminary results gathered by ABC researchers and international partners, 317 Endangered, Critically Endangered, and Data Deficient bird species are found within ABC’s focal geography (North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Hawai’i, and U.S. territories in the Pacific). Roughly 11 percent of these 317 species have not been seen in recent years or are likely to be extinct, and 2 percent are species of swifts and storm-petrels that we know little about — so little, in fact, that it is hard to determine their primary threats or even confirm their status as Endangered. That leaves 87 percent, or 276 species, needing conservation action to address the threats driving them toward extinction. By far, the most common threat to these species is habitat loss (79 percent), followed by invasive species (16 percent). Wildlife trafficking, hunting, bycatch in fisheries, persecution, or combinations of other threats make up the remainder (5 percent). “It’s important that we know which species are the ones in

We can enable populations of the Americas’ rarest birds to stabilize and recover. greatest need,” says ABC President Mike Parr. “We don’t want to overlook any critical species. It’s hard to see the ‘holes’ when you’re looking at a list of birds, so we’re trying fill in those gaps with this analysis.” These “gap species” can be found from the marshy outskirts of a Brazilian megacity to the dry forests of western Mexico. Since the majority are clearly threatened by habitat loss, one key strategy is to protect more of their habitat — at least enough to safeguard a potentially viable population of 500 individuals. If the total population is less than 500, we’ll protect as many of the surviving birds as possible. Depending on the species and threats, 500 may be more than is needed to secure the population from the threat of immediate extinction (both the California Condor and Whooping Crane recovered from low doubledigit populations), but this can also

LEFT: Lilacine Amazon by Steve Wilson

By Daniel Lebbin and David Wiedenfeld

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

TOP: Rusty-faced Parrot by Wim de Groot B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

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 Aldo Sornoza

Fundación Jocotoco and local researchers, with support from the U.K.-based Chester Zoo, have been studying this species to learn how we might best conserve it. They have identified the foraging and roosting areas of what is likely the bird’s largest population. Because the dry forest roosts are unprotected and under pressure for agriculture, ABC and Jocotoco are fundraising to acquire these areas. We’re starting with critical roosting sites and aim to create the first reserve for this unique and colorful amazon.

act as a medium-term population goal for the recovery of species with smaller current populations. Protecting habitat for the rarest birds has been at the center of ABC’s international efforts for decades. With our partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, we’ve enhanced habitat protection across more than one million acres by creating reserves, establishing easements, and restoring the forests and wetlands these rare birds need to survive. A perfect example is the Yunguilla Reserve in Ecuador, managed by our partner, Fundación Jocotoco. Before the reserve was established in 2004, the Pale-headed Brushfinch occurred entirely outside protected areas, numbered only 30 individuals, and was considered Critically Endangered. The reserve — established with ABC support — now protects almost the entire population of the brushfinch, which now numbers more than 200 individuals. The species has been downlisted to Endangered as a result of this

Photo by Steve Wilson

GRAY-BELLIED COMET SÃO PAULO MARSH ANTWREN The reclusive São Paulo Marsh Antwren skulks around wetlands on the outskirts of Brazil’s largest city. The antwren was described by scientists as a new species in 2013, and IUCN evaluated the species as Critically Endangered in 2016. Research suggests it has likely lost more than 74,000 acres of its historic habitat as a result of the conversion of wetlands to agriculture and other uses. The current population estimate is 250 to 300 individuals. In 2017, ABC and our partner SAVE Brasil launched an effort with Brazil’s Guararema municipality and other local conservationists to establish the first protected area for a population of this species. Given enthusiastic local support for the effort, we hope that Guararema will establish a series of reserves that will protect this bird throughout much of its small range. Photo by Rick Elis Simpson

The Gray-bellied Comet is one of several spectacular threatened hummingbirds that live in small enclaves in northern Peru. (The others are the Royal Sunangel, Purple-backed Sunbeam, and Marvelous Spatuletail.) A bird of arid mountain slopes and canyons, the comet is an important pollinator of cacti, shrubs, and trees. All four of these hummingbirds are threatened by habitat loss, and the comet and sunbeam occur exclusively outside protected areas. Working with our Peruvian partner ECOAN, ABC helped to establish the world’s only reserve for the spatuletail and engaged local residents in a more widespread habitat restoration effort and awareness campaign. We also supported creation of the Abra Patricia Reserve, which includes important habitat for the Royal Sunangel. Now, we are exploring how to create additional reserves for these species — with an eye to establishing the first Graybellied Comet reserve later this year or next, along with engaging local communities in habitat restoration. Photo by Jacques Erard

continues p. 20

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

From Birkenstock to NASA, YELLOW-HEADED BRUSHFINCH and TOLIMA DOVE

A Push to Make Windows

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 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 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 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 creating protected areas for these birds. It’s a great opportunity: 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. TOP: Yellow-headed Brushfinch by Bob Lewis BOTTOM: Tolima Dove by Fundación ProAves

We aim to use this analysis to fill in the protection gap for the birds that need it most.

As our “gap analysis” continues, ABC and collaborators plan to publish a complete list of the under-protected bird species of the Americas, along with maps that show areas in need of protection as a first line of defense against extinction. Working with scientific and conservation partners and governments across the Western Hemisphere, we aim to use this

analysis to fill in the protection gap for the birds that need it most. It’s an exciting evolution in our 20-year effort to “safeguard the rarest” — and one that we feel sure will bring many more species back from the brink. ABC is committing matching funds of at least $1 million toward projects that aim to prevent extinctions of the most threatened birds in the Americas by protecting habitat and addressing other threats. This analysis will

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

help us engage governments and other stakeholders in protecting more birds. But we cannot do it alone. Join our quest to save the hemisphere’s most threatened birds.

David Wiedenfeld (left) is Senior Conservation Scientist at ABC; Daniel Lebbin (right) is Vice President of Threatened Species at ABC.

By Meredith Swett Walker

Most of us know the signs: a dull thump, a powdery smudge, or a few tiny breast feathers stuck on the glass. A bird has hit the window.

cientists estimate that up to a billion birds die every year in the United States after colliding with window glass. The threat is real, says ABC’s Christine Sheppard, Bird Collisions Campaign Director, but so is the progress we’re making to minimize the risk. “We’re starting to see a real response to our efforts to make people aware of the dangers that glass can pose to birds,” she says. “People are realizing that with minimal effort, they can make their buildings and homes much safer for birds. There is much more to do, of course, but we are definitely making progress.” The following are five facilities across the country where simple modifications have made windows safer for songbirds.

1 Birkenstock USA Headquarters, California At Birkenstock USA, the effort to reduce window strikes began with an employee named Kerry Burke. Burke, who passed away in 2016, was an accounting manager at the Novato, Calif., office for more than 30 years and described herself as its “official bird nerd.” The office sits on 88 mostly undeveloped acres adjacent to a state park. Burke enjoyed photographing wildlife on the property, but she was alarmed by the number of birds hitting the building’s many windows. In looking for a solution, Burke discovered Acopian BirdSavers. Also known as a “Zen wind curtain,” Acopian BirdSavers consist of lengths of parachute cord hung vertically and spaced four inches apart in front of a window.

TOP: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, one of the many bird species that collide with glass — often with fatal results. Photo by valleyboi63, Shutterstock

Nancy Moock

sustained conservation action and continues to recover its range and population.

SAFER for BIRDS

1 With Burke’s encouragement, Birkenstock put BirdSavers up on most of the windows in the 22,000-square-foot building. The modification has been nearly 100 percent effective, says office manager Nancy Moock. People do ask about the strings, she says. “When I tell them they’re to keep birds from hitting the window, they say, ‘Oh! That’s great.’”

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

“The cab drivers would come in extremely upset because they’d see it happening,” says Tom Sweets of the Key West Wildlife Center, a local wildlife rehabilitation center. “Most of the time when we got there [to rescue the birds], they were already run over.”

Eventually they settled on Solyx Horizontal Bird Safety Film. The durable film, applied to the outside of windows, has unobtrusive gray lines that are visible to birds. Tests performed by ABC and reports from the field show that the film is highly effective at preventing window collisions. The airport applied the film to the glass on both pedestrian overpasses. Airport Director Don DeGraw reports that the Bird Safety Film was “well worth” its

This sprawling structure in the heart of the nation’s capital had a similar problem with a glass-walled pedestrian overpass. Volunteers with local organization City Wildlife regularly walk several miles around downtown to collect and record birds killed in window collisions and rescue stunned birds. They soon discovered that the 2.3 million-square-foot facility’s L Street pedestrian overpass alone killed an average of about 11 birds per year, including Veeries, American Redstarts, and Yellowbellied Sapsuckers.

 Thanks to ABC's Birdfriendly Building Design booklet, we had a document in hand to show which techniques would work.

3 of 2016, there has been an 82 percent reduction in bird strikes at the overpass, says City Wildlife President Anne Lewis, but no change in frequency of strikes on other, untreated parts of the building.

City Wildlife, which provides wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in the Washington area and runs the Lights Out DC program, shared the findings with the Convention Center management. The group urged the management to apply a glass treatment to remediate the problem.

The film is surprisingly unobtrusive. Soon after the Convention Center decided to purchase the Solyx film, Lewis, an architect, was attending an American Institute of Architects convention at the facility. Solyx had a vendor’s booth there, and Lewis asked the company’s representative when the Convention Center planned to apply the film to the overpass.

The Convention Center chose Solyx Vertical Bird Safety Film. Since it was applied in the fall

It was already installed, he told her. “I had been walking by it and not even noticing it,” Lewis says.

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018



Tom Ryon

Anne Lewis

Staff from the Wildlife Center teamed up with the Florida Keys Audubon Society to approach the airport’s management about the problem and find a solution. “Thanks to ABC’s Bird-friendly Building Design booklet, we had a document in hand to show which techniques would not work (venetian blinds) and which would (striping on the glass),” says Mark Hedden, Executive Director of the Florida Keys Audubon Society.

3 Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

FloridaKeysWindowTinting.com

At Key West International Airport, the push began with taxicab drivers. Cabs wait for passengers underneath two glass pedestrian overpasses. During migration, many birds, especially neotropical migrants such as Northern Parulas and Prairie Warblers, would hit the glass on the overpass and fall into the roadway below, where cars would flatten them.

cost. Sweets, meanwhile, says he has not received any calls about birds colliding with the overpasses since the modification was completed in 2016, and on his periodic checks of the roadway below he hasn’t found any dead birds.

Are you a homeowner, architect, developer, or just

interested in preventing bird collisions? Visit birdsmartglass.org of dots or lines, fused into it. Fritting is an ancient technique that is regaining popularity because it can be used to create aesthetically pleasing effects, and the reduced transparency of the glass helps keep buildings cool.

In other areas of NREL’s campus, the team got creative with their bird-friendly designs. They employed a product called CollideEscape that can incorporate graphics or text into window treatments. NREL used it to decorate their bus shelters with mountain scenes and text about living with birds. NREL was even able to retrofit some buildings that proved problematic for birds, in one instance using a product called Feather Friendly, featuring a pattern of adhesive dots applied to the exterior of the glass.

Sandy Parker

2 Key West International Airport, Florida

5 4 National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado When the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus in Golden, Colo., saw a surge of construction roughly a decade ago, Tom Ryon, the facility’s senior wildlife biologist, played an active role. Ryon anticipated that bird strikes would be a problem for some of the planned labs, bus shelters, and other structures, which featured large amounts of reflective glass. So he advocated for birdfriendly designs to be incorporated. For instance, a “fritted” glass made by Viracon was used in some new structures. Fritted glass has a ceramic pattern, usually consisting

Ryon monitored bird strikes at the windows before they were retrofitted and for two migration seasons afterward. He found that the number of birds killed each season dropped from 15 to 20 fatalities down to one, or sometimes none.

5 Johnson Space Center, Texas With its 1,600 acres of mostly undeveloped land near the Gulf of Mexico, NASA’s Johnson Space Center is prime habitat for neotropical migrants. A handful of the center’s buildings had problems with bird strikes. Some have been significant: In 2012, dozens of Indigo Buntings died in one night when an entire flock struck a window.

Matt Strausser, a wildlife biologist employed at the Space Center, says that event was a wake-up call for NASA. It wasn’t only about the welfare of wildlife; the collisions also had an effect on worker morale. “People are walking into their offices where they’re supposed to do good quality work, and if they have to step over five or six dead wild animals that they care about, it’s not a great way to start the day,” Strausser says. The Space Center took a number of steps to mitigate collisions. In some buildings where transparency seems to be the main problem, workers are asked to close their blinds during migration season. (Although this doesn’t reduce reflections, it does help prevent some collisions.) On other buildings with newer, more-reflective glass, the center has applied vinyl cutouts to break up the reflections. The efforts have paid off. Strausser has conducted detailed monitoring of bird strikes, and since 2012, they’ve decreased by about 85 percent. Closing blinds and applying birddeterrent patterns to windows was inexpensive and “really doesn’t impact our operations,” Strausser says. “It was a clear win for us.” And also for the birds.

Meredith Swett Walker is a science writer based in western Colorado.

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

Into the Cerrado

The Cerrado’s botanical life is one measure of its greatness, with 11,000 species of plants, half found nowhere else in the world.

Thirty of the region’s bird species are found nowhere else on Earth, including the Cinereous Warbling-Finch.

This place is important to people as well as to wildlife — for example, as a source of water. The vast majority of Brazilians use electricity generated by water originating in the Cerrado.

Photo by Fabio Rage

Named for its dense vegetation — the word cerrado literally means “closed” — the Cerrado stretches across 1.2 million square miles of central Brazil, an area three times the size of Texas. It’s one of the most biologically rich savannas in the world. Visualize giant anteaters ambling through the grasslands, Greater Rheas chasing each other across the plains, and noisy groups of Toco Toucans following one another from tree to tree, and you’ll just skim the surface of this astounding place.

Where there are plants, there tend to be birds, and the Cerrado is no exception: 850 or more bird species inhabit these tropical grasslands and scattered forests. The Blueeyed Ground-Dove is just one of the rarities. Thirty of the region’s bird species are found nowhere else on Earth, including the Cinereous Warbling-Finch.

It’s a vital region for agriculture too. Since the 1960s, huge swaths of the Cerrado have been plowed for large-scale agricultural

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

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

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

BRAZIL

Botumirim State Park (approximate location)

Blue-eyed Ground-Doves by Rafael Bessa

operations, particularly for soybeans. In fact, the rocky land now encompassed by Botumirim State Park is still intact partly because it is inhospitable to soybean-growing. Other large areas have been degraded by mining operations, intensive cattle grazing, wildfires, and invasive species. In spite of the pressures to feed the country’s growing population and fuel economic growth, Brazil is showing itself to be a world leader in biodiversity conservation. In July, the Ministry of Environment established legislation aimed at conserving the country’s last refuges of endangered species. All Brazilian Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites will be a special focus for the Ministry, which will now consider these sites in the development of all national

conservation-related policies. Brazil is the first country in the world to formally adopt the AZE framework as a tool for conservation prioritysetting within its borders.

Rediscovering the Dove: “It Was Pure Emotion” Conservation takes time — sometimes a very long time. The designation of Botumirim State Park was 20 years in the making. But the search for the Blue-eyed Ground-Dove was even longer. Seventy-five years passed between the species’ previous sighting in 1941 and the now-famous 2015 rediscovery of the species by ornithologist Rafael Bessa. Bessa unveiled the rediscovery at the 2016 Brazilian Birdwatching Festival, where he played the bird’s

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

song in public for the first time. SAVE Brasil’s Pedro Develey says of the experience, “When he played the video there was a commotion in the crowd and nonstop applause. It was pure emotion.” Bennett Hennessey, ABC’s Brazil Program Director, concurs. “The discovery of this bird gives us hope. We have not lost this species … now, we have to make sure it doesn’t go extinct.” SAVE Brasil took quick action and — supported by Rainforest Trust — established a private reserve where the ground-dove was first seen. This reserve and Botumirim State Park now encompass the species’ entire known population. These are vital first steps, but ensuring the species’ survival

requires more than protecting habitat. More must be learned about the little-known bird’s behavior, particularly its breeding biology. To fill in these knowledge gaps, SAVE Brasil’s ground-dove research team, led by Bruno Rennó, made important discoveries during the 2018 breeding season (January to May). It’s now known that the birds are found in three sitefaithful subgroups divided by more than a mile. In addition, Rennó and his team believe the species requires three key elements within its micro-habitat: open tall-grass

The Cerrado’s botanical life is one measure of its greatness, with 11,000 species of plants, half found nowhere else in the world.

Cerrado flora, Botumirim State Park. Photo by Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

savanna, the presence of the grass species Lagenocarpus rigidus, and access to a freshwater stream. These three qualities are only found in 35 percent of the protected area. Researchers also discovered that the ground-dove’s detectability radically changes through its annual cycle. The bird seems to sing all day long from a perch about five feet above the ground during the rainy season, but becomes a silent escape artist during the rest of the year.

Steps to Secure the Species Future work for the species may sound less romantic, but is vitally important. ABC is supporting SAVE Brasil’s development of a Species Action Plan this September, which will bring together leading experts on birds and conservation. This plan will ultimately tie into the management of Botumirim State Park and national bird conservation plans as well. Innovation is key, says ABC’s Bennett Hennessey. “Conservation

scientists are learning that we can do a lot more than just protect habitat. We don’t have to sit back and watch whether a species goes extinct or not.” He notes that many new management techniques are being applied for extremely rare species, ranging from supplemental feeding and improving breeding sites to reducing predators and establishing captive breeding programs. The next decade — as Brazil comes to terms with the dual goals of conservation and development

”Conservation scientists are learning that we can do a lot more than just protect habitat. We don’t have to sit back and watch whether a species goes extinct or not.”

— will be essential for stabilizing the ground-dove’s numbers. Increased support will be necessary, both from concerned birders and from conservation groups. Hennessey is optimistic. “The area surrounding the park has a very low human population, and very little of the land is presently owned or ranched,” he says. “It’s also fortunate that the park is in the state of Minas Gerias, one of the three wealthiest states in Brazil. It has the ability to actively protect areas and to apply federal and state environmental laws,” which can be more challenging elsewhere.

Marcelo Lisita searching for the Blue-eyed Ground-Dove. Photo by SAVE Brasil

B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

The Blue-eyed Ground-Dove’s change in fortunes over the last several years is remarkable: from

a bird few had hoped to ever see again to a species whose habitat is known and protected, in a country that has committed itself to saving the rarest of its biological treasures. Giving all who love Earth’s wildlife a reason for optimism, this small bird has rallied the international conservation community, and the steps being taken may well ensure its survival.

One of the crucial components of Blue-eyed Ground-Dove habitat is access to freshwater streams. Photo by Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding

de Minas Gerais. Additional international support has been provided by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.

Learn more about our efforts to find lost birds: searchforlostbirds.org

Poet Mehmet Murat Ildan was right when he wrote, “Wherever there are birds, there is hope.” Many other organizations are also contributing to the effort to save the Blue-eyed Ground-Dove, including Brazil’s Fundação Grupo Boticário, Instituto Grande Sertão Igs, and Instituto Estadual de Florestas

Clare Nielsen is ABC's Vice President of Communications.

B I R D CON SE R VAT IO N | S U M M ER /FA LL 2018

FINAL GLIMPSE

Kirtland’s Warbler, On Track to a Bright Future By Shawn Graff

hen the Endangered Species Act (ESA) took effect in 1973, the Kirtland’s Warbler was among the species to be included on the Act’s first Endangered Species list. The warbler spends the winter months in the Bahamas and breeds in large tracts of young jack pine forests in the upper Midwest. But fire suppression and development, along with brood parasitism from Brownheaded Cowbirds, had sent the species’ population into a downward spiral. By 1974, the number of singing males had declined to a low of 167. The tiny songbird was on the brink of extinction. I first became acquainted with Kirtland’s Warbler management about a decade ago. I remember a glimpse of a yellow, tattered copy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kirtland’s Warbler Recovery Plan from 1976. It appeared to have been written on an electric typewriter. Two things stood out to me when I read the report: the enormity of the undertaking federal officials envisioned, and how thoughtful and deliberate the recommendations were. Thanks to the collective hard work of many unsung heroes in the wildlife conservation community, Kirtland’s Warbler is now an ESA success story. A sustained and collaborative effort among states, local residents, federal agencies, and conservation organizations has enabled the population to exceed recovery goals. From the species’

stronghold in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula into areas of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, and Canada, the population is estimated to have risen to more than 2,000 breeding pairs. This impressive number doubles the recovery goal the Service set for the species 42 years ago. But with success comes new challenges. As a result of this growth, the Service has initiated the process to take Kirtland’s Warbler off the Endangered Species list. This is good news on the conservation front. But it also means the warbler loses federal ESA funding for conservation initiatives. This is no small administrative detail: Kirtland’s Warbler is utterly dependent on continued conservation efforts to manage its habitat, monitor its population numbers, and control cowbirds. Without conservation, the species cannot remain stable, let alone continue to increase. The Service couldn’t think about delisting the bird based on population numbers alone. These other pieces of the puzzle had to be accounted for, too. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service are stepping up and pledging their continued long-term commitment to ongoing management. However, this still leaves gaps in addressing the overall full life-cycle conservation needs of the species.

Thousands of species of birds…

That’s where ABC comes in. With assistance from the Michigan-based Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, ABC will work with agency and nonprofit partners and the Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance to develop a long-term comprehensive strategy that addresses the species’ post-delisting, full life-cycle needs. The partners will be at the forefront of creating and maintaining the programs in the Midwest and in the Caribbean that keep Kirtland’s Warbler on the rise.

Millions of acres of habitat…

It’s possible that these collaborations could make Kirtland’s Warbler the first conservation-reliant Endangered species to be delisted — and could offer a roadmap to delisting other species that depend on continued conservation. The partners have already proven that they can bring a species back from the brink. The next step is to guarantee its future. Shawn Graff is ABC’s Vice President for the Great Lakes Region.

One legacy of bird conservation—yours. You can create a legacy for birds by including ABC in your estate plans. Join ABC’s Legacy Circle with a gift through your will, retirement plan, trust, or insurance policy, and you will ensure bird conservation results for years to come. If you would like more information, or if you have already included ABC in your estate plans, please contact Jack Morrison, Planned Giving Director, at 540-253-5780 or at jmorrison@abcbirds.org.

TOP: Kirtland’s Warbler by Peter Tamas B I R D CO N S E R VATI ON | SU M M ER/ FA L L 2018

Photos, top to bottom: tern flock by Maksym Gorpenyuk, Shutterstock; beach habitat by Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC; Least Terns by Ivan Kuzmin, Shutterstock

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

P.O. Box 249 The Plains, VA 20198 abcbirds.org 540–253–5780 • 888–247–3624

The Eastern Bluebird is one of the many bird species that has benefitted from the protections provided by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. That legislation is now under threat. Photo by Bonnie Taylor Barry, Shutterstock

PERMIT NO. 2392 MERRIFIELD, VA