ON THE WIRE

Cherry-throated Tanager Reserve a Bid to Dodge Extinction

With a remaining population perhaps as low as 17 individuals, the Cherrythroated Tanager is one of the world’s rarest species. This dazzling songbird has a better chance at survival thanks to the establishment last December of a 704-acre protected area of primary Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. The reserve is the latest effort in a plan to save this Critically Endangered bird by Brazilian conservation organization Instituto Marcos Daniel, with support from ABC and Rainforest Trust.

“It’s an occasion for celebration and a cause for optimism,” says Bennett Hennessey, ABC’s Brazil Conservation Program Coordinator, of the new reserve.

Until 1998, the Cherry-throated Tanager had only been seen once after its discovery in 1870 and was believed to be extinct. In the years since its rediscovery, the tanager, which spends most of its time seeking insects high in the canopy, has been left in highly fragmented habitat, nearly crowded out by rampant agricultural conversion and urban encroachment.

The benefits of the reserve go far beyond providing habitat for the rare tanager: Other inhabitants include the Endangered Vinaceousbreasted Amazon and several species considered Vulnerable to extinction: the White-bearded Antshrike, Golden-tailed Parrotlet, and Brownbacked Parrotlet. The Critically Endangered Buffy-headed Marmoset and, likely, populations of the littleknown Brazilian Golden Frog are found there as well. Now that the land is protected, Instituto Marcos Daniel is developing a conservation plan that includes monitoring Cherry-throated Tanager populations. With the reserve’s longterm sustainability in mind, the group

is looking at ways to generate income, including public use for birdwatching, scientific tourism and research, and a lodge to host visitors. In the meantime, more is being learned about this fascinating bird: In 2021, an active nest was photographed just a few hundred feet outside the reserve boundary — the second found that year. For such a rare species, every nest represents hope for the future.

For such a rare species, every nest represents hope for the future.

ABC would like to acknowledge support for this project from David and Patricia Davidson, George and Cathy Ledec, Kathy Burger and Glen Gerada, Marcia Koenig Rebmann and Andrew Rebmann, Lenton PARKS Fund, Larry Thompson, George Powell, George Jett, Bert Harris, an anonymous donor, and the estate of Mary Janvrin.

A still shot taken from the first-ever video of a nesting Cherry-throated Tanager pair — filmed through a spotting scope to avoid disturbing the birds. Photo by Alex Mesquita.

The Cherry-throated Tanager team from the Instituto Marcos Daniel includes (left to right): Marcelo Renan, Valdivia Rocha, Eduardo Sakamoto (ALUPAR), Gustavo Magnago, Thieres Fiorotti, and Victoria Faria. Photo by Instituto Marcos Daniel. Atlantic Forest habitat at the new reserve. Photo by Pedro Develey.

New York’s Heritage Wind Decision Aims to Reduce Project’s Impact on Birds

In mid-January, New York State’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) approved Heritage Wind for a site west of Rochester. It is the first wind energy facility considered under the state’s new renewable energy project review process.

Members of the conservation community, including ABC, Genesee Valley Audubon Society, and Rochester Birding Association, have long expressed grave concerns about this project, which developer Apex Clean Energy proposed to build adjacent to a wetland and forest complex designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Most concerning was a subset of six proposed turbines closest to the IBA. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) separately called for the relocation or removal of these turbines from the plan.

ORES agreed with these independent groups, with the caveat that if Apex Clean Energy can prove that removing or relocating the highestrisk turbines is “impracticable,” the company would instead be required to provide enhanced measures to minimize impacts to birds. While some concerns remain, ABC believes that ORES rendered a thoughtful decision that reasonably balances renewable energy development with the need to protect the state’s declining bird populations.

“The decision allows the project to go forward,” says Joel Merriman, ABC’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy Campaign Director, “but with reasonable, science-based measures to minimize impacts.”

ABC thanks the Leon Levy Foundation for its support of ABC’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy campaign.

Black Terns feeding chick by Ward Poppe, Shutterstock.

EPA Actions on Pesticides a Mixed Bag for Birds

In late February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld its final ruling to ban chlorpyrifos, making it illegal to use this toxic organophosphate on food crops meant for domestic consumption. ABC worked for six years to bring this victory about, working alongside partner groups including Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Food Safety, United Farm Workers, and the Pesticide Action Network.

Chlorpyrifos has been shown to affect birds’ abilities to fly, migrate, and reproduce. It has also been linked to neurological complications in human adults and infants.

“The chlorpyrifos ruling is a major victory for migratory birds and their habitats, as well as for people,” says Hardy Kern, Director of ABC’s Pesticides and Birds campaign. “We’re gratified to see the EPA acting to make food, water, and bird habitat safe from chlorpyrifos poisoning.”

Now, ABC is asking the EPA to close the loophole allowing chlorpyrifos use on food crops grown for export.

Unfortunately, another harmful organophosphate, malathion, is positioned for continued use — in spite of a 2017 U.S. government study concluding that malathion poses a threat to 97 percent of species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The EPA’s biological opinion on malathion, issued in March, indicates that the agency

Loggerhead Shrike feeding young by Philip Rathner, Shutterstock. proposes to minimize malathion’s impacts by providing more detailed usage instructions, such as specifying a maximum number of applications per year and establishing a buffer around aquatic areas. Based on this opinion, malathion is on track to be renewed later this year.

“We’re disappointed in the ultimate result,” says Kern. “We think the decision to renew malathion’s registration spells trouble for birds and sets a concerning precedent for other pesticides under review.”

A biological opinion on neonicotinoids (“neonics”), the most widely used pesticides in U.S. agriculture, is due out in the fall.

Ask elected officials to restrict the use of bird-killing neonics: act.abcbirds.org/a/ take-action-pesticides

ABC is grateful to the Raines Family Fund for its generous support of our Pesticides and Birds campaign.

Nearly Half of Eagles Suffer From Chronic Lead Exposure

An eye-opening study published in the journal Science in February revealed that of 1,210 eagles tested over eight years, almost half showed evidence of chronic lead exposure. Researchers tested blood and feather samples from birds captured for banding or rehabilitation, as well as liver and bone samples from dead birds. They found that 46 percent of Bald Eagles and 47 percent of Golden Eagles showed evidence of repeated lead exposure. Lead poisoning weakens and kills carrion-eating birds, including both eagle species and the Critically Endangered California Condor, after they ingest spent lead ammunition at game kills.

The study, which sampled eagles in 38 states, estimates that Bald Eagle annual population growth could be cut by almost 4 percent by the poisoning, while that of the less-plentiful Golden Eagle might be reduced by almost 1 percent. An estimated 40,000 Golden Eagles live in the U.S., with more than 300,000 Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states alone.

ABC has long promoted that hunters voluntarily transition to non-lead ammunition to reduce the impact of lead on birds.

Purple-backed Sunbeam

The Purple-backed Sunbeam (above) has three close relatives:

The Shining Sunbeam (bottom left) is the most widespread of its genus, found in the Andes from Colombia to Peru. Photo by Glenn Bartley. The White-tufted Sunbeam (bottom center) has a small two-part range in humid intermontane valleys in Peru, and often occurs alongside the Shining Sunbeam. Photo by Glenn Bartley. Endemic to Bolivia, the Black-hooded Sunbeam (bottom right) often perches atop stems in open highland forest and scrub. Photo by Glenn Bartley.

AN ELUSIVE SUNBEAM

In our fall campaign,

“Save a Place for Birds,” we polled people online on their favorite bird group. We weren’t very surprised when “charm of hummingbirds” proved most popular! Of course, with their flash and verve, each of the world’s 371 known hummingbird species — all found in the Americas — has its own “charm.” Take the Purple-backed Sunbeam of northern Peru. With its charcoal coloration and telltale white face and chest, this species may not win the “most colorful” prize, but caught in the right light, its back flashes a delicious shining violet.

Known from a remote and tiny range, the Purple-backed Sunbeam eluded detection for nearly 50 years — from the 1930s until 1979. David A. Wiedenfeld, now ABC’s Senior Scientist, was there for the rediscovery, along with a team of other ornithologists. “The credit goes to our group,” Wiedenfeld says. “We wanted to see if we could find it and we went to the last-known location. If I recall correctly, when I spotted it, my immortal words were: ‘There it is!’”

In 2019, ABC Vice President of Threatened Species Daniel J. Lebbin, with colleagues including partners at Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), authored the first description of the species’ nest. ABC works with ECOAN on reforestation projects that expand the sunbeam’s feeding and nesting habitat. In the last two years, more than 62,000 trees have been planted in cooperation with local community members.

ABC works with partners to conserve many other hummingbird species, both through these types of planting efforts and at a network of 70-plus reserves that support more than half of all hummingbird species.

BIRDS WIN!

ABC is proud of the difference our community has made for wild birds and their habitats over more than 25 years. But there's much more to do: With today's ever-changing climates and landscapes, birds must overcome daunting threats daily — from habitat loss and degradation, to collisions with windows and predation from free-roaming cats and other invasive species.

With your help, we can continue to make a difference for birds as they navigate these challenges.

You can help BIRDS WIN with your gift today. Thanks to the dedication and support of ABC members, staff, and our bird conservation community, there is hope. When we come together to make a difference … BIRDS WIN!

Thanks to your support, BIRDS WIN when: • Thousands of pounds of trash and marine debris are removed in coastal and bay areas to ensure that sensitive species such as the Snowy Plover and their habitats are conserved;

• Bird-friendly building laws are passed to help prevent birds like the White-throated Sparrow,

Hermit Thrush, and Black-and-white Warbler from colliding with windows;

• New reserves are established to help prevent the extinction of imperiled species like the Cherry-throated Tanager — a Critically Endangered songbird that may number as few as 17 individuals;

• Harmful chemicals that wipe out birds’ food sources and can poison birds directly, such as chlorpyrifos, are banned from use;

• Over 115,000 seedlings are planted to improve habitat for the Gray-bellied Comet — an

Endangered hummingbird species in Peru; and

• Species like the Junin Grebe, Pale-headed

Brushfinch, Lear’s Macaw, and Kirtland’s Warbler continue their recovery from the brink of extinction.

These wins for birds, and more, were made possible thanks to you. Please respond to our 1:1 match today. We can do so much more for birds.

Thanks to a dedicated group of supporters, we have a 1:1 match with a goal of raising $500,000 by June 30.

Your gift will immediately be used for our most urgent bird conservation projects throughout the Americas, allowing ABC to help protect a wide variety of bird species from habitat loss and other widespread threats, including pesticides and invasive species.

Help us make sure BIRDS WIN and please give your most generous gift today. Please use the enclosed envelope or visit abcbirds.org/birds-win