Brown pelican taken off endangered list

November 12, 2009|Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The brown pelican has resurfaced after plummeting to the brink of extinction.

Interior Department officials yesterday announced that they were taking the bird off the endangered species list, after a nearly four-decade struggle to keep its population afloat.

The bird - now prevalent across Florida, the Gulf, and Pacific coasts, and the Caribbean - was declared an endangered species in 1970, after its population was decimated by the use of the pesticide DDT. The chemical caused the pelican to lay eggs with shells so thin that hey broke during incubation.

The bird’s recovery is largely due to a 1972 ban on DDT, coupled with efforts by states and conservation groups to protect its nesting sites and monitor its population, Interior Department officials said.

“Today we can say the brown pelican is back,’’ Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a conference call with reporters. “Once again, we see healthy flocks of these graceful birds flying over our shores. The brown pelican is endangered no longer.’’

The official announcement came earlier at a news conference at Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, which is dubbed the “Pelican State.’’