55 Pacific birds get protection

Submitted by TemoL on Mon, 08/03/2010 - 10:31am

By Audrey McAvoy / Associated Press

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said yesterday it is adding 55 Pacific Island birds to a list of species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the first changes to the list since 1985.

They include 24 species found only in Hawaii, including the Maui parrotbill and the akekee or Kauai akepa.

An additional 28 species are from American Samoa, the Mariana Islands—which includes Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands—and Baker and Howland Islands. Three more are found in Hawaii, as well as other places.

The law prohibits the killing or capture of any bird on the list. The nests and eggs of listed species are also protected.

Species are listed when they are part of a family or species protected under international conventions with Canada, Japan, Mexico and Russia.

Unlike species listed under the Endangered Species Act, they don't have to be imperiled to receive protection.

George Wallace, vice president of the American Bird Conservancy, praised the agency's move, noting 71 bird species have become extinct in Hawaii since humans first settled the islands.

"The native birds of Hawaii are so seriously threatened that all species deserve to be protected under federal law," Wallace said in a statement.

Hawaii accounts for one-third of U.S. endangered birds. Thirty-one Hawaiian bird species are listed as endangered.

Altogether the agency added 186 species to the migratory treaty list and subtracted 11, bringing the current total to 1,007.

The revisions were made due to new evidence of birds being found in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Some species were removed because they are no longer known to occur within the U.S.