The Service made the determination in response to a petition filed by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. Under the Act, the Service was required to review the petition to decide whether it contains substantial information supporting a full review of the birds status.
"This is the first step in the process," said Michael J. Spear, manager of the Services California-Nevada Operations Office. "We have determined the petition presents substantial information to warrant a more comprehensive look at the species. Our review will include all available information, not just what was in the petition, including additional information submitted by other government agencies, scientists and the public."
In the western United States, the yellow-billed cuckoo is a secretive robin-sized bird that breeds in willow and cottonwood forests along rivers. The birds most notable features are a long boldly patterned black and white tail, and an elongated and down-curved bill, which is yellow on the bottom. Its plumage is grayish-brown above and white below. Adults have a narrow, yellow eye ring. The bird eats primarily large insects such as caterpillars and cicadas as well as an occasional small frog or lizard.
The yellow-billed cuckoo breeds from southern Canada south to the Greater Antilles and Mexico. While the yellow-billed cuckoo is common east of the Continental Divide, biologists estimate that more than 90 percent of the birds riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian habitat in the West has been lost or degraded as a result of conversion to agriculture, dams and river flow management, bank protection, overgrazing, and competition from exotic plants such as tamarisk.
The petition seeks to have yellow-billed cuckoos in the western United States designated as a subspecies that can be protected under the Act. Under the Act, the Service can list subspecies; however, current information as to whether the western birds are a valid subspecies is unclear. The Service is funding a study of geographic variation to help address the question of whether the western yellow-billed cuckoo is a valid subspecies.
Because the Act also provides for listing of a distinct population segment of a species or subspecies, the Service will also explore whether listing the yellow-billed cuckoo in the western United States as a distinct population segment is warranted. In evaluating whether the western yellow-billed cuckoo can be recognized as a distinct population, the Service will assess whether it is separated from other populations by physical, physiological, ecological or behavioral factors.
The public is invited to submit any data or other scientific information that should be considered in the review, especially information related to yellow-billed cuckoo genetics and taxonomy, and ecological or behavioral differences between the western and eastern populations. Information should be sent to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825.
"Regardless of whether we propose to list the yellow-billed cuckoo, the Service will continue to work in partnership with State, Federal and private partners to conserve riparian habitat in the West for the cuckoo and other species that depend upon it, such as the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher," Spear said.
If, after the review, the Service decides to propose to list the yellow-billed cuckoo as either threatened or endangered, the public would then have an opportunity to comment on the proposal before any final decision.
A complete description of the Services finding on the yellow-billed cuckoo was published in todays Federal Register.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
