Florida originally had eight different sparrows, living among tall grasses in dry prairies and swampy marshes from Central Florida to the Southern Everglades. Weakened by natural habitat loss from over development of Florida’s Dry Prairie Ecosystem, the song of these birds may soon go silent. As the Miami Herald reports, grasshopper sparrows are considered North […]
Tag: us fish and wildlife service
Spix’s macaw have made a magnificent comeback in Brazil thanks to an amazing international rescue operation
The outlook for the Spix’s macaw could not have been worse twenty years ago. There are now only a few dozen of this unique parrot species left in cages owned by collectors throughout the world after the last member of the species vanished from the wild. The future looked bleak for Cyanopsitta spixii, to put […]
Collaborative Efforts Elevate Shorebirds During Spring Migration in Lahontan Valley
As I made my way across Nevada at the end of April, signs of the continuing drought persisted each and every westward mile. From parched reservoirs to dust clouds rising thousands of feet from the desert floor, I could see the stark impacts of the lack of water manifesting on the rugged Nevada landscape. About […]
562 Florida manatees have died this year already – but a lawsuit offers hope
Following legal pressure from environmental groups, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has agreed to update important habitat safeguards for manatees, as the animals continue to die in record numbers. Last year, more than 1,000 manatees perished in Florida, accounting for more than 10% of the state’s population and making it the bloodiest year […]
One of the largest US wind energy companies pleads guilty to federal criminal charges after at least 150 eagles were killed, most hacked by turbine blades
An American wind energy company that pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges after at least 150 eagles were killed, most hacked by turbine blades, has agreed to spend as much as $27m on efforts to prevent more deaths. ESI Energy, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, one of the largest US providers of renewable energy, entered […]
Florida’s Endangered Key Deer suffers 30% losses with Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on south Florida in September 2017, flooding homes, knocking out power to millions, and killing more than 30 people. However, the destruction was not limited to humanity. One of the state’s most adored wildlife, the Key deer, a rare subspecies of white-tailed deer that evolved in tranquil isolation on the islands […]
Kleptoparasitic bear steals wolves’ kill in filmed Yellowstone drama
Wildlife officials in Yellowstone national park captured the “unusual” sight of a cheeky grizzly bear tagging along with a pack of hunting wolves, then making off with their kill. The enthralling video, posted to the National Parks Service Facebook page, shows the October incident in which the wolves from the Junction Butte pack in northern […]
US to declare ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more species extinct
The US Fish and Wildlife Service officially proposed taking 23 plants and animals off the endangered species list Wednesday, because they have not been spotted in the wild and are believed to be completely gone from an earth experiencing human population growth and a climate crisis. Only 11 species previously have been removed due to […]