National News

The Elephant Bird Regains Its Title as the Largst Bird that Ever Lived. “History has not been kind to the elephant bird of Madagascar. Standing nearly 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,000 pounds — or so researchers believed — this flightless cousin of the ostrich went extinct in the 17th century, thanks in part to humans stealing their massive eggs, either to feed their own families or to repurpose them as giant rum flasks. Or both. More recently, the bird’s designation as the heaviest in history was challenged by the discovery of the slightly larger, unrelated Dromornis stirtoni, an Australian flightless giant that went extinct 20,000 years ago. But a new study seeks to restore the elephant bird’s heavyweight title. After taxonomic reshuffling and examination of collected elephant bird remains, researchers say that a member of a previously unidentified genus of the birds could have weighed more than 1,700 pounds, making it by far the largest bird ever known.” [New York Times, 9/26/18 (=)]

Hunt of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears Canceled as a Result of Judge’s Ruling. “Yellowstone-area grizzly bears, scheduled to be hunted this month for the first time in decades, were granted a reprieve by a federal judge who ordered the animal restored to full protections under the Endangered Species Act. United States District Judge Dana Christensen ruled in favor of the Crow Indian Tribe and other tribes and environmental groups who had argued that the Fish and Wildlife Service had erred in removing the bear’s threatened status in June 2017. The agency, beginning with a proposal to take the bears off the list during the Obama administration, had failed to consider how the de-listing would affect other populations of protected grizzlies in the region, according to the judge’s decision. He also said  the agency’s analysis of threats to the animal was ‘arbitrary and capricious,’ according to the judge’s decision. The case, the judge wrote, ‘is not about the ethics of hunting, and it is not about solving human- or livestock-grizzly conflicts as a practical or philosophical matter.’” [New York Times, 9/25/18 (=)]

Republicans Seek Widespread Changes to the Endangered Species Act. “Galvanized by court rulings protecting grizzly bears and gray wolves, congressional Republicans on Wednesday launched a push for sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act despite strong objections from Democrats and wildlife advocates who called the effort a ‘wildlife extinction package.’ Republicans began with a morning vote in the House Natural Resources Committee to strip protections from wolves across the contiguous U.S.” [AP, 9/26/18 (=)]

Newly Discovered Hummingbird Species Already Critically Endangered. “In 2017, researchers working in the Ecuadorian Andes stumbled across a previously unknown species of hummingbird -- but as documented in a new study published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, its small range, specialized habitat, and threats from human activity mean the newly described Blue-throated Hillstar is likely already critically endangered. Hillstars are unusual among hummingbirds -- they live in high-elevation habitats in the Andes and have special adaptations to cold temperatures. Francisco Sornoza of Ecuador's Instituto Nacional de Biodiversida, first observed and photographed a previously unknown hillstar during fieldwork in southwest Ecuador in April 2017. After this first expedition, Francisco engaged fellow researchers Juan Freile, Elisa Bonaccorso, Jonas Nilsson, and Niels Krabbe in the study of this possible new species, returning in May to capture specimens and confirm the finding. They dubbed the new species Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus, or the Blue-throated Hillstar, for its iridescent blue throat.” [Science Daily, 9/26/18 (=)]

Scientists Stumble across Endangered Whale Feared to Be Extinct for Years. “An endangered whale that has only been seen off Canada’s west coast twice in the last 50 years and was feared to be extinct from those waters is alive and well. Thomas Doniol-Valcroze, a research biologist with the Department of Fisheries of Oceans, is the lead scientist conducting a federal survey trying to count or estimate the populations of all the marine mammals that live in the Pacific Ocean in Canadian jurisdiction. He says the results of the survey won’t be ready for another year, but notes scientists saw as many as six sei whales swimming in a pod of fin whales. The sei whale is listed as endangered in Canada’s Species at Risk Act and Doniol-Valcroze says it is very exciting to know they still exist, even if in very low numbers. The survey found the whales after scientists heard what sounded like their calls on sonar recording devices floating beside Canadian Coast Guard ships.” [The Canadian Press, 9/26/18 (=)]