Birds in Peril

Not all the news is grim. The status of some WatchList species has improved, with the population of the California condor having recovered from nine wild birds in 1987 (all of which were brought into captivity so they would not go extinct) to 305, thanks to captive breeding programs. Lead bullets still pose a threat, however, since the condor eats the remains of hunters' kills. There were only 16 whooping cranes in 1941, due to habitat loss and shooting, but a recovery plan focusing on captive breeding in Florida and Wisconsin under the Endangered Species Act has brought the population back over 200 individuals. (Though it didn't help matters that in 2004 hunters shot two whooping cranes in Kansas, mistaking them for sandhill cranes, which are legal to kill.) The piping plover has also benefited from the ESA, which has required protection of this shorebird's beachfront nesting grounds.

The complete list of birds in peril is at www.abcbirds.org/watchlist.htm and www.audubon.org.

© 2007