27,488 Acres of Critical Habitat Designated for Elfin-woods Warbler in Puerto Rico.
Following litigation brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated critical habitat for the
elfin-woods warbler. This small, black-and-white bird, found only in Puerto
Rico, has lost a significant amount of habitat to urban and agricultural
development. Today’s measure designates 27,488 acres of forested land on the
island.
“The designation is a great step in the right direction for protecting
Puerto Rico’s magnificent forests, which are home to this tiny bird,” said
Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This
beautiful little warbler needs a buffer against the increasing intense
storms that plow through the island.”
The elfin-woods warbler, Setophaga angelae, is a 5-inch bird discovered in
the dwarf forests of El Yunque National Forest in the 1970s. Warblers are
small, insect-eating songbirds that sing a “warbling” or trilling song. The
birds are found in the forested areas on the east and west ends of Puerto
Rico.
In 2004 the Center petitioned to list the elfin-woods warbler as endangered
under the Endangered Species Act. The Service had previously identified the
bird as a candidate for listing in 1982 but removed it from the list in 1996
because of a lack of information. The Service again listed it as a candidate
species in 1999 because of habitat loss.
The Service finally listed the bird following a historic settlement
agreement in 2011 between the Center and the Service that expedited
decisions on protections for 757 species. Even though the Act requires that
the Service concurrently designate critical habitat, it never did, and in
2019 the Center had to sue again to compel the Service to designate critical
habitat for the little bird.
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