The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a final rule to protect six South American bird species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, including the ash-breasted tit-tyrant, Junín grebe, Junín rail, Peruvian plantcutter, royal cinclodes, and white-browed tit-spinetail. The ash-breasted tit-tyrant and royal cinclodes are native to Peru and Bolivia, while the remaining four species occur only in Peru.
The primary factor leading to the listing of these species is habitat destruction and degradation.
Addition of a foreign species to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife places restrictions on the importation of either the animal or its parts. Listing can also generate other conservation benefits, such as increasing awareness, prompting research efforts, or funding conservation in range countries. The Service has no regulatory jurisdiction in these countries.
To learn more about the Endangered Species program’s Branch of Foreign Species, visit http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/international-activities.html.
USFWS lists 6 South American bird species under ESA
