Judge orders feds to reconsider endangered species status of native Northwest songbird

A federal judge in Portland ruled on Monday that officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must reconsider the listing status of the streaked horned lark, a songbird once prevalent in the Pacific Northwest, which advocates say now faces extinction. The lark, easily recognizable by its stark yellow coloring and feathered horns, has been listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act since 2013. Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, sued the federal government over the bird’s status, arguing that the dwindling species deserved an “endangered” listing, which would afford it more protection. The birds prefer to nest on the ground in open fields and prairies. With much of their natural habitat destroyed, the larks have taken to man-made areas that mimic their traditional nesting areas, like islands created by dredge disposal, grass seed fields and the vast areas that surround airports. In 2013, the lark was given protected status as a "threatened" species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the protections included exemptions that allowed airports and agricultural interests to continue activities that could be harmful to the lark..MORE