‘Endangered’ golden-cheeked warbler might be downlisted
The golden-cheeked warbler, which makes its home in the Highland Lakes, could be downlisted from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended the change due to improvements in species conservation.
The golden-cheeked warbler could be downlisted from “endangered” to “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the recommendation after completing a five-year status review of the migratory songbird, which has large swathes of habitat in Burnet County, particularly in the juniper-oak woodlands of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge east of Marble Falls.
The warbler was listed as endangered in 1990 due to habitat loss, but the Fish and Wildlife Service found that, while the species still faces significant threats from urbanization, drought, and wildfires, it is no longer considered at immediate risk of extinction. Instead, the bird remains at risk in the foreseeable future, meeting the Endangered Species Act’s definition of a threatened species rather than an endangered one.
The FWS cited perceptible improvements to population size, habitat quality, climatic conditions, and landscape changes as reasons for its recommendation.
“Several studies have produced estimates of the amount of potential golden-cheeked warbler habitat in the breeding range as well as the species’ population size,” reads a FWS report following its review. “In 2021, the service acknowledged that these efforts represent new estimates rather than just indicators of positive trends in warbler habitat and population size. The service also acknowledges that the species’ known potential range is geographically more extensive than it was when the golden-cheeked warbler was originally listed. This is likely due to both habitat conservation and management and much-increased survey effort since listing.”
Species with an endangered status under the Endangered Species Act have strong, federal protections that include restrictions on habitat destruction and criminal penalties for harming, harassing, or killing the species. If downlisted to threatened, the warbler would still have some protections but fewer restrictions on habitat alteration and interactions with people in the wild.
Efforts to protect the golden-cheeked warbler’s habitat have been ongoing for decades. The 25,475-acre Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, located on RR 1431, was established in 1992 to support warbler conservation, and habitat protection initiatives have contributed to the bird’s improved outlook.
Regardless of the golden-cheeked warbler’s federal listing status, conservation programs for the species will continue.
SEPARATE PETITION
Unrelated to the five-year review, a September 2024 court ruling required the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reassess a petition to delist the species. The FWS issued a response on Jan. 17, determining that the petition presents substantial information indicating a status change might be warranted. This finding does not immediately alter the warbler’s current endangered status but initiates a more in-depth review of all biological and scientific data to determine if a change is appropriate.
If the U.S. Secretary of the Interior approves the recommendation, the FWS will publish a proposed downlisting rule in the Federal Register, opening a public comment period.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently accepting new scientific and commercial data regarding the golden-cheeked warbler’s population status and threats. Comments may be submitted at regulations.gov under docket number FWS-R2-ES-2024-0179. For more information, email esaustininfo@fws.gov.