The U.S. Department of Interior announced today that the brown pelican will be taken off the Federal endangered list.
“At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story,” said U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a news release. “Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!”
The prehistoric looking bird, which have a large presence on Ventura’s Channel Islands, were decimated by the impacts of DDT, which made their eggshells so weak they would crack during incubation.
On Anacapa Island — where there are now an average of 4,500 breeding pairs — there were no successful nests during the hardest-hit years. The bird’s recovery is largely credited to the 1972 ban on DDT, though much of the pesticide still lingers in the environment today.
Wednesday’s announcement is nearly the final step in taking the birds off the list, a process which began last year. It will officially be off the list 30 days after the ruling is published in the Federal Register.
5 comments:
deb
that is a good new ! very good new ! we have to protect our birds and these so wondeferful and "particular" birds ! they are so nice and also funny when you look at them ! the way they move and the way they open their mouth is funny ! i love it so we have to protect them
Oh please tell me about DDT : what is it ? is it pesticide ? please let me know because i don't know that ! I am sure that the others know but not me ! so you have to explain to me (hehehe)
see you soon
very nice article
byeeee jerry
Debbie, I love watching pelicans flying in formation, like ancient pterodactyls. They are awesome birds. I also love to see them when they dive straight into the water, to get fish. Awesome picture. I like all the detail on the feathers. Thanks for your photographs.
To Jerry: DDT is a pesticide. Evidence showed that when large birds like the pelican or the bald eagle accidentally ingested DDT, the shells of their eggs became soft and the chicks would not hatch and die. Debbie did not mention it, but the bald eagle was nearly wiped out from existence due to the extensive use of DDT in the 1950s and 1960s. The pelican is off the endangered list, but it is still protected so it cannot be hunted. Just thought you would like to know.
A-Watcher
Thank you so much for this explanation ! very interesting
I do understand what debbie meant about DDT
thanks you very much
tell me are you in BH ?
byeeee
jerry
Jerry, I am not at BH. I am just a big fan of this blog and of Debbie. I also enjoy reading your writing. Good luck.
Post a Comment