Rare Hummingbird Will Be Protected Under Endangered Species Act

A rare hummingbird under the threat of extinction is about to get some help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife will list the Honduran Emerald as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

The tiny bird measures less than four inches in length, and is the only bird species native to the country of Honduras. The hummingbird is in decline due to degradation, fragmentation, and loss of its dry thorn forest habitat as a result of cattle grazing and agriculture.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about 90 percent of the birds’ habitat is now lost, and between 5,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs of the hummingbirds remain located in isolated parts of Honduras. With the birds spending more energy to find food and suitable breeding sites, the fear is that reproduction of the species will be greatly affected.

By listing the Honduran Emerald under the Endangered Species Act, certain activities involving the bird will be prohibited without a permit, including import into and export out of the United States. By regulating many of these activities, the Endangered Species Act ensures that people under the jurisdiction of the U.S. do not contribute to the further decline of the Honduran Emerald.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that permits will only be issued for scientific purposes that benefit the rare hummingbird in the wild, or to enhance the reproduction and survival of the species, including habitat restoration.

To learn more about the Endangered Species program’s Branch of Foreign Species, visit: www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/international-activities.html.