Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office

Endangered Species

Mississippi Sandhill Crane Chick. Credit: USFWS

Working together to protect plants and animals from extinction

Updated 4/19/2013

This lists the federally threatened and endangered species by county for Mississippi. This list is intended for general informational use only. It does not replace the need for conducting on-site field work and it does not meet the requirements for consultation under sections 7 or 10 of the Endangered Species Act.

What is the Endangered Species Act?

This page gives a short overview of the Endangered Species Act.

Here is a link to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) document.

What are Endangered and Threatened Species? How Can I Help?

This page gives a short definition of what endangered species are and lists ways that you can help endangered species.

Habitats Used by Endangered and Threatened Species in Mississippi

This page describes the habitats that are used by federally endangered or threatened species in Mississippi. This habitat information may be used for school reports or as an aid for project planning and consultation.

What is Critical Habitat?

This page defines critical habitat . Critical habitat has been designated for only a few listed species in Mississippi.

What is a CCA or CCAA?

When an animal or plant is becoming rare and may be close to extinction, biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service take protective measures to restore the species. One way we can help is with a Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs) or Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs). These are formal conservation agreements between the Service, Federal agencies, States, Tribes and non-governmental organizations who voluntarily commit to implement specific actions designed to remove or reduce extinction threats to species. These agreements can cover Federal and non-Federal land, as well as private land.

Bald Eagle Protocol

The American bald eagle was taken off of the endangered species list in 2007 but the eagle is still protected by both federal and state laws. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits anyone without a permit from "taking" bald eagles, including their parts, nests and eggs. The Act defines "take" to include: pursuit, shooting, shooting at, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, collecting, molesting and disturbing. This page links to bald eagle permit process and this page links to the national bald eagle managment guidelines.

Federal Permits and Project Consultation

Conservation Planning Assistance and Federal Actions

The Conservation Planning Assistance or Federal Activities Program is responsible for evaluating federal water resource projects, Corps of Engineers permit applications and for conducting environmental impact assessments. Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires all Federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that actions they authorize, fund, permit or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify critical habitat. If an agency's action may affect a listed species or critical habitat, the agency must initiate consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service. Section 7 also applies to private individuals when their actions need a Federal permit or funding. What is consultation? To learn more about consultation and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, read this fact sheet.

Celebrate Endangered Species Day in May

Endangered Species Day in the month of May started when the United States Senate passed a resolution to recognize our nation’s commitment to protecting endangered species and their habitat. Join us as we celebrate endangered species through children's art work and special events in Mississippi. To see some of the endangered species poster art, click here.