Hope for North America’s Most Endangered Bird

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When conservationists rescued Florida grasshopper sparrows eight years ago from failing or flooded nests, they ended a long debate over whether taking sparrows for captive-breeding might push their wild population closer to the brink. 

Other breeding programs involving larger, longer-living birds such as the California condor had been successful, but there was no precedent for a species like the Florida grasshopper sparrow, which weighs no more than five or six pennies and lives a mere three to five years.

“This was important because it was a short-lived grassland bird, and grasslands in general in North America are declining a bit because it’s a place where people develop,” said Robert Aldredge, Florida Air Force partnership coordinator at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “It’s a good place to have farmlands, so grasslands species are not doing the best.”

The sparrows were housed at facilities like White Oak Conservation outside of Jacksonville and the Brevard Zoo on the Space Coast, where their caretakers maintained conditions within their enclosures that closely mimicked those on the prairie. No one knew whether the sparrows would survive, and when they did, no one knew whether they would breed and raise young. Then no one knew whether the young would survive in the wild, and when they did no one knew whether this generation would breed and raise young.

“It was a lot of difficult and very strong feelings, and no one really knew the answer,” Gray said.

The captive-raised sparrows have surpassed expectations in the wild. When conservationists began releasing them in 2019, another step that came after agonizing debate, they hoped at least 15 percent would survive beyond a year and breed with wild sparrows. Initially 20 percent survived and bred, and since then the birds have maintained a 15 percent survival rate, considered a success for a species that never had a high survival rate to begin with.

“It is wonderful news that they have been able to successfully recruit into the population,” Fitzwilliam said. “Their offspring are just like the other sparrows.”

“There was some concern in the beginning of the program, whether the birds would be the same caliber breeders because they were raised in captivity,” she said. “But they have been a huge asset in keeping the population basically from winking out.”

The next step will be getting enough captive-raised birds onto the prairie so that the population can become self-sustaining, Gray said.

“How do we get enough birds out there, and will it be self-sustaining?” he asked. “That is what keeps me awake.”  

Fitzwilliam said that while the Florida grasshopper sparrow still faces many threats, the population has stabilized to the point where conservationists can turn their attention toward other issues, such as how the landscape itself can be improved, through fire for instance.“There were a lot of exercises where we imagined the very worst case scenario,” she said. “What we have achieved is the best case scenario. The birds are able to settle. They are able to breed. They are able to contribute to the population. So that piece of the puzzle, it’s very exciting that it’s working out well.”

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Amy Green

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Amy Green covers the environment and climate change from Orlando, Florida. She is a mid-career journalist and author whose extensive reporting on the Everglades is featured in the book MOVING WATER, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and podcast DRAINED, available wherever you get your podcasts. Amy’s work has been recognized with many awards, including a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and Public Media Journalists Association award.

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Publish date : 2024-09-06 22:05:00

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