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Action Timeline

December 22, 2003 – The Center sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its delay in issuing rulings for 73 rare foreign birds in need of protection, including the Andean flamingo, Chilean woodstar, Okinawa woodpecker and Chatham and magenta petrels.

May 17, 2004 – A legal settlement from the Center’s December 2003 lawsuit forced the Fish and Wildlife Service to act on the listing petitions for 73 of the world’s rarest birds.

September 8, 2004 – After several Center lawsuits and petitions, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to designate critical habitat for the Rota bridled white-eye by 2006.

November 16, 2006 – The Center filed a lawsuit seeking protection for the Okinawa woodpecker.

December 17, 2007 – In response to Center litigation, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list six South Pacific seabirds as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. 

January 16, 2008 – As a result of a 2004 Center lawsuit, six imperiled international birds were listed as endangered. 

January 23, 2008 – A U.S. District Court sided with the Center when it ruled that the Fish and Wildlife Service had violated the Endangered Species Act in failing to protect the Andean flamingo, medium tree finch, black-breasted puffleg, St. Lucia forest thrush and Chilean woodstar. The court ordered the Service to propose a listing rule for each species by the end of 2008.

December 8, 2008 – The Service proposed to list the black-breasted puffleg and medium tree finch as endangered species.

December 24, 2008 – The Service proposed to protect the Andean flamingo, Chilean woodstar and St. Lucia forest thrush under the Endangered Species Act.

June 15, 2009 – The Center reached a settlement with the Service that compelled the agency to submit final listing determinations for six species of foreign birds and proposed listings for an additional 25 species.

July 7, 2009 – The Service, as required by the 2009 settlement, proposed listing the blue-billed curassow, brown-banded antpitta, Cauca guan, gorgeted wood-quail and Esmeralda’s woodstar as endangered.

August 12, 2009 – As required by the 2009 settlement, the Service published a proposed rule to list the black-hooded antwren, Brazilian merganser, cherry-throated tanager, fringe-backed fire-eye, Kaempfer’s tody-tyrant, Margaretta’s hermit and southeastern rufous-vented ground cuckoo.

September 14, 2009 – As required by the 2009 settlement, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule listing the Chatham, Fiji and magenta petrels as endangered throughout their ranges under the Endangered Species Act.

November 3, 2009 – Pursuant to the 2009 settlement agreement, the Service proposed to list the salmon-crested cockatoo as threatened.

January 5, 2010 – As required by the 2009 settlement, the Service issued final rules listing the Galápagos petrel and Heinroth’s shearwater as threatened species throughout their ranges. Pursuant to the same settlement, the Service proposed to list six South American birds — the ash-breasted tit-tyrant, Junin grebe, Junin rail, Peruvian plantcutter, royal cinclodes and white-browed tit-spinetail — as endangered, as well as  six other birds from around the world — the Cantabrian capercaillie, Marquesan Imperial pigeon, Eiao Polynesian warbler, greater adjutant, Jerdon’s courser and slender-billed curlew.

August 17, 2010 – The Service announced it would protect the St. Lucia forest thrush, Chilean woodstar and Andean flamingo as endangered.

July 27, 2010 – The Service designated two rare South American bird species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act: the black-breasted puffleg, a hummingbird native to Ecuador, and the medium tree finch, one of the famous Galápagos Islands finches studied by Charles Darwin.

December 28, 2010 – The Service declared seven Brazilian bird species endangered: the black-hooded antwren, Brazilian merganser, cherry-throated tanager, fringe-backed fire-eye, Kaempfer’s tody-tyrant, Margaretta’s hermit and southeastern rufous-vented ground cuckoo.

August 11, 2011 – The Service designated six foreign bird species as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act: the Cantabrian capercaillie, Marquesan imperial pigeon, Eiao Marquesas reed warbler, greater adjutant, Jerdon’s courser and slender-billed curlew.

July 2012 – The Service protected six South American bird specie sunder the Endangered Species Act: the ash-breasted tit-tyrant, Junín grebe, Junín rail, Peruvian plantcutter, royal cinclodes and white-browed tit-spinetail.

October 29, 2013 – In response to the decades-old listing petitions and a series of lawsuits by the Center, the Fish and Wildlife Service finally designated four rare bird species from Colombia (the blue-billed curassowbrown-banded antpittaCauca guan and gorgeted wood-quail) and one Ecuadorian hummingbird species (Esmeraldas woodstar) as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Photo © Bruce Marcot