Obama Administration Nixes Plan to Add Cook’s Petrel to List of Endangered Birds But Proposes to Add 14 Other Foreign Bird Species

Cook's Petrel

The Obama administration has decided not to list the Cook’s petrel as an endangered species. The seabird lives off the coast of New Zealand. In 2007 the Bush administration had proposed listing the foreign species. But Fish and Wildlife Service biologists now say that updated information shows that the bird is not as rare as was believed in 2007 when the listing was first proposed.

The Obama administration has decided to proceed with listing 14 other foreign birds under the Endangered Species Act. Such designation gives added worldwide publicity to the birds’ status and prohibits the importation of the birds or any parts of the birds to the United States.

The foreign birds listed as endangered or threatened include the Galapagos petrel and the Heinroth’s shearwater, two birds that were first proposed for protection 30 years ago. Also listed as threatened foreign species are six birds from South America: the ash-breasted tit-tyrant, the Junin grebe, the Junin rail, the royal cinclodes, the white-browed tit-spinetail, and the Peruvian plantcutter.

Asian birds proposed for protection are the greater adjutant, Jerdon’s courser, and the slender-billed curlew. Two South Pacific birds — the Marquesan imperial-pigeon and the Eiao Polynesian warbler — are also proposed to be listed as threatened. Also, the FWS proposed that Spain’s Cantabrian capercaillie be protected.