Availability of Birds of Conservation Concern 2021

• Published date: 16 June 2021
• Citation: 86 FR 32056
• Record Number: 2021-12694
• Section: Notices
• Court: Fish And Wildlife Service,Interior Department

Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 114 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
                [Notices]
                [Page 32056]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2021-12694]
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                DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
                Fish and Wildlife Service
                [FWS-HQ-MB-2021-N033; FXMB12310900000/FF09M140000/212F1611MD]
                Availability of Birds of Conservation Concern 2021
                AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
                ACTION: Notice of availability.
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                SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
                availability of Birds of Conservation Concern 2021. This publication
                identifies species, subspecies, and populations of migratory birds in
                need of additional conservation actions. The purpose and goal of this
                publication is to stimulate and guide coordinated, collaborative, and
                proactive conservation actions for these taxa among Federal, State,
                Tribal, and private partners.
                ADDRESSES: The subject document is available at https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/birds-of-conservation-concern.php.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerome Ford, Assistant Director,
                Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the
                Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240; 202-208-1050;
                [email protected]. Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may
                call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                (Service), announce the availability of Birds of Conservation Concern
                2021. This publication identifies species, subspecies, and populations
                of migratory birds in need of additional conservation actions. Our goal
                in publishing this list is to stimulate coordinated, collaborative, and
                proactive conservation actions among Federal, International, State,
                Tribal, and private partners.
                 The 1988 amendment to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of
                1980 (FWCA; 16 U.S.C. 2901-2912) requires the Secretary of the
                Interior, through the Service, to ``identify species, subspecies, and
                populations of all migratory nongame birds that, without additional
                conservation actions, are likely to become candidates for listing under
                the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543)
                [ESA].'' 16 U.S.C. 2912; Public Law 100-653, 802. Birds of Conservation
                Concern 2021 fulfills that mandate and supersedes Birds of Conservation
                Concern 2008 (74 FR 11128). The overall purpose of the Birds of
                Conservation Concern list is to identify, by geography, those nongame
                migratory birds in greatest need of conservation attention. Thus, the
                species that appear in Birds of Conservation Concern 2021 are deemed to
                be the highest priority for conservation actions. We anticipate that
                the document will be consulted by Federal agencies and their partners
                prior to undertaking cooperative research, monitoring, and management
                actions that might directly or indirectly affect migratory birds.
                 The philosophy underlying the BCC reports is that proactive bird
                conservation is critical at a time when continued human impacts will be
                intensified by effects of a changing climate. By investing in actions
                for designated BCC taxa, we can prevent further degradation to
                environments that we all share, improve the odds for successful long-
                term conservation, and avoid the complexities associated with federal
                ESA listing. Proactive conservation is recognized as being more cost-
                effective than the recovery efforts required once a bird is listed
                under the ESA (e.g., Drechsler et al. 2011).
                 To serve as a broad early-warning system in the context of the
                FWCA, this list includes all of the species that we consider to be of
                conservation concern. Our objective in publishing the list is to focus
                conservation attention on bird species of concern well in advance of a
                possible or plausible need to consider them for listing under the ESA.
                Inclusion on this list does not constitute a finding that listing under
                the ESA is warranted, or that substantial information exists to
                indicate that listing under the ESA may be warranted. Many of the
                species on this list may never have to be considered for ESA listing,
                even if no additional conservation actions are taken.
                Authority
                 The authority for this notice is the FWCA; the ESA; the Fish and
                Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended (16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.); and 16
                U.S.C. 701.
                Jerome Ford,
                Assistant Director, Migratory Birds.
                [FR Doc. 2021-12694 Filed 6-15-21; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4333-15-P