‘Threatened’ marsh bird status

The eastern black rail marsh bird that nests along coastal waters is so rare some people think it’s a myth. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the bird as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act. It’s about the size of a Jackson Square beignet with red eyes and gray feathers. It once ranged across wetlands of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, but habitats have been disappearing. Sea level rise along Louisiana’s coastal land are decimating those marsh lands, and becoming a challenge for the birds. They nest along a “narrow strip right on the coast” of Louisiana, said Justin Lehman, a scientist with Audubon Louisiana, “where we’re having shoreline erosion. The land they need is the first to go.” USF&W says the threatened status is needed because the bird’s populations have declined by as much as 90 percent in some regions. Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary in Virginia, has researched the bird’s populations, and those studies were cited by USF&W’s proposed endangered status. USF&W began a 60-day comment period on the proposed ESA listing on Oct. 9. Federal protections could follow a year-long review period. What those protections would be are unclear. (Source: NOLA.com 10/26/18)