A primary goal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is to conserve avian diversity in North America (USFWS 1990); this includes reducing the likelihood of having to propose any migratory bird species for Federal listing as Endangered or Threatened.
The purpose of this document is to identify those species of migratory nongame birds that are considered to be of concern in the United States because of (1) documented or apparent population declines, (2) small or restricted populations, or (3) dependence on restricted or vulnerable habitats. It supercedes a similar list prepared in 1987 (USFWS 1987). This document partially fulfills the requirements of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980, as amended (P.L. 100-653, Title VIII), to "identify species, subspecies, and populations of all migratory nongame birds that, without additional conservation actions, are likely to become candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973." This list should not be confused with either the "animal candidate review" prepared under authority of the Endangered Species Act and updated biannually (USFWS 1994) or the series of prioritized regional lists of neotropical migrant landbirds prepared under the auspices of Partners in Flight, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation program (e.g., Carter and Barker 1993, Hunter et al. 1993, Smith et al. 1993, and Thompson et al. 1993). Each of these lists was developed for different purposes using different criteria or procedures. However, to the extent possible, the "candidate" and Partners in Flight lists have been integrated into the criteria used to identify species of "management concern."
The underlying philosophy behind this report is that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." We fervently believe that a well-designed program that addresses resource-management issues at an early stage, thereby preventing species from having to be listed as Threatened or Endangered, will be more cost-effective than the full-blown recovery effort required once a species is Federally listed. We hope that "Migratory Nongame Birds of Management Concern in the United States: the 1995 List" will, like its predecessor, stimulate a coordinated effort by Federal, State, and private agencies to develop and implement comprehensive and integrated approaches for the management of selected species of nongame birds deemed to be in the most need of additional conservation actions. Since species are the major building blocks of the communities and ecosystems of which they are a part, we also hope that this list will promote greater study and protection of the habitats and ecological communities upon which these species depend.
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