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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: Big Problems for a Small Desert Owl
A rare, small owl that roams the southwestern deserts may soon disappear from American soil because of actions by the Bush administration, conservationists say.
Recent surveys found only 18 adult cactus ferruginous pygmy owls remaining in Arizona. Yet the Justice Department, on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has asked a federal judge to remove the bird from the endangered species list.
Conservationists argue that the administration is ignoring science and bowing to pressure from real estate interests at the expense of the tiny bird. Says Jenny Neeley, program associate with the Arizona office of Defenders: “We’re being asked to sit back and watch an entire species destroyed in the state of Arizona.”
The pygmy owl, which is less than seven inches long, with a reddish tail and a grey-brown body, has been listed as endangered since 1997. If the owl loses its endangered species protections, federal reviews of developments that may be harmful to the species would end, and a group of biologists that has been working to restore the bird’s population would be disbanded. In addition, a proposal to protect 1.2 million acres of owl habitat would be dropped.
Learn more about the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl.
