Washington: United States on Wednesday declared 23 extinct species, including one of the largest triggers in the world, nicknamed “Lord God Bird.” The announcement came through fish and wildlife services (FWS), which proposed to remove birds, shells, fish, and plant bats and fruit from endangered species protection because the government scientists have found them again.
“With climate change and the loss of natural areas encourage more species to the edge of the abyss, now is the time to raise proactive, collaborative and innovative efforts to save American wildlife,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haale in a statement.
Perhaps the most iconic of the species is the wavy of ivory bills, with the undisputed last evidence about its existence coming in the 1940s.
Recorded because of striking black and white fur, pointed symbol and lemon-yellow eyes, has become something from the Holy Grail for Birders in the past few decades, with many unconfirmed sightings for years in the US in the US.
“The fundamental thing that pushed the trigger to the extinction was the loss of the first southeast growth forest, which actually began to occur after the civil war,” John Fitzpatrick, director of Emeritus from the Cornell laboratory, told AFP.
Fitzpatrick is part of an effort to find birds in Arkansas and other regions in the mid-2000s – but added that, while he agreed with the government about his decision regarding other bird species, he believed there was still hope for the trigger.
“Every decade there are enough credible reports out of the US, and in the 1980s from Cuba, that still exists,” he said.
This species is respected not only by Alexander Wilson and John James Audobon, considering the founders of the ornitology, but also by collectors who hunt them.
His nickname, “Lord God Bird,” said to be from the expression “God God, what a bird,” Fitzpatrick said.
Other species declared extinct including Warbler Bachman, a final singer was documented in Cuba in 1981, and eight species of freshwater shells, which depend on healthy and water reliably.
Eleven species of Hawai’i and Guam are included in the list, including Kauai Akialaoa and Nukupu’u, known for their long and curved beaks, and Kauai ‘O’o who are said to have haunting calls.
Also lost was the San Marcos Gambusia, freshwater fish from Texas which was last seen in 1983.
Although the news was pathetic, Fitzpatrick said there were several reasons for optimism.
Because it was imposed in 1973, the actions of endangered species have prevented the extinction of 99 percent of plants and animals under their care.
These include bird species such as Derek Rejan, which numbered a few of 16 individuals in the 1940s but since then recovered to 500 or 600.
On the other hand, this endangered species must also compete with the pressure of climate change.
Saltmarsh sparrows for example live in coastal swamps which are quickly disturbed by sea level rise.
Tiera Curry, a senior scientist for the center of Biodiversity, praised the administration of President Joe Biden to request a decent increase of $ 60 million in the protection of endangered species, but criticized the fact that the new FWS director had not been appointed.
“Extinction cannot be avoided.
This is a political choice.
Savings species are not rocket science.
As our country needs to stand up and say we will not lose more species for extinction,” he said.