The Department of the Interior today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This milestone is the result of five decades of collaborative conservation efforts between the Interior Department, federal and state partners, Tribes, the private sector and private landowners that have resulted in increasing populations of these remarkable birds throughout their range.
"The downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker marks a significant milestone in our nation's commitment to preserving biodiversity," said Secretary Deb Haaland. "Through decades of collaborative efforts from a wide coalition of partners, we have brought this iconic species back from the brink of extinction, ensuring that future generations will continue to see these incredible birds thriving in their natural habitats. This is another important accomplishment in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's implementation of the iconic Endangered Species Act."
Since being listed as an endangered species in 1973, the red-cockaded woodpecker has benefited from active conservation efforts from partners and private landowners. For example, state-wide Safe Harbor Agreements have enrolled 459 non-federal landowners covering approximately 2.5 million acres, resulting in an increase in red-cockaded clusters on private lands over the past three decades.
"Decades of committed recovery work and collaboration drove this remarkable story of recovery. The Service worked closely with the Departments of Agriculture and Defense, private landowners, Tribes, state agencies, businesses, utilities and conservation groups to reach today's announcement," said Service Director Martha Williams. "The improved status of the red-cockaded woodpecker shows that when we give species a chance, they can thrive. The Endangered Species Act can serve as a catalyst for collaborative efforts like this one to promote recovery and conserve habitats."
The red-cockaded woodpecker is a territorial, non-migratory bird species that lives in mature pine forests in the southeastern United States. Once abundant from New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas and north to Missouri, the red-cockaded woodpecker's range dwindled to a few states by the 1960s, following more than a century of habitat loss. In the late 1970s, populations were at an all-time low of an estimated 1,470 clusters of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Today, the Service estimates there are 7,800 clusters ranging across 11 states from southern Virginia to eastern Texas.
The Service has also finalized a 4(d) rule to provide for the conservation of the species. The 4(d) rule continues the same prohibitions for red-cockaded woodpeckers as an endangered species, includes exceptions for routine law enforcement activities and habitat management and provides species-specific exceptions for beneficial management practices. The prohibitions apply throughout the species' range, on both public and private lands. Over the past four decades, these prohibitions have provided an understandable and broadly accepted framework for protecting red-cockaded woodpeckers and the habitat resources upon which they depend.
While the red-cockaded woodpecker's status has improved, the species has not fully recovered. The red-cockaded woodpeckers remain a threatened species, at risk of becoming endangered again due to habitat loss, random events like hurricanes, ice storms, and wildfires as well as the challenges posed by small population sizes. The Service will continue working with its coalition of partners to help the red-cockaded woodpecker thrive and advance towards a full recovery.
The Service utilizes conservation benefit agreements as a tool that allows landowners to manage their land with minimal regulatory oversight while guaranteeing a baseline population of woodpeckers. These agreements encourage activities like prescribed fire to restore longleaf pine forests with healthy understories of grasses and a mix of old and young trees needed for the woodpecker's survival.
