ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

RECOVERY OF
ESA-LISTED BIRDS
Brown Pelican by John Turner
This report is intended to assist policy-makers,
the conservation community, and the interested
public in determining how the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) is performing in its goal of preventing
extinction and recovering endangered birds. Vital
for bird conservation, the ESA is a last resort to
prevent species extinctions. By the time
a species is listed under the ESA it may
be extremely difficult to recover, and
recovery should be expected to be slow
due to past habitat loss or degradation.
But despite these challenges, the ESA
is working to recover more than twothirds
of all listed U.S. bird species.
The American public overwhelmingly
supports endangered species
conservation and the Endangered
Species Act that serves as the legal basis
Overall, 70 percent of
all listed U.S. birds are
stable, on the road to
recovery, or already
delisted, while only
21 percent are in
decline.
for this fundamental national philosophy. Polls
show this over and over again including one taken
in 2015 showing a record level of support with 90
percent of the public favoring the ESA. Despite this
consensus, some special interests still seek to weaken
or abolish the ESA.
Much recent Congressional debate on
the ESA has focused on exemptions
for bird species whose conservation
conflicts with land uses or resource
extraction, such as the Greater Sage-
Grouse, which was exempted from
listing in the FY 2015 and 2016 spending
bills. The possibility of ESA listing
was an essential driver for the recently
adopted sage grouse management
plans that better balance development
with conservation. However, it is
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