Brown Pelican Off Endangered Species List

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the brown pelican, pelicanus occidentalus, and the state bird of Louisiana, is no longer considered endangered for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. It has been listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its precursor since 1970, one of the first bird species recognized as being imperiled by the pesticide DDT.

DDT, an insecticide used to kill mosquitos, is especially dangerous to animals high up the food chain. It is very persistent, and so it sticks around and accumulates in larger and larger quantities as flies are eaten by fish, are eaten by larger fish etc.. This meant that birds such as pelicans, which rely on large amounts of fish, and lived in aquatic areas targeted for mosquito spraying, were exposed to a large amount of the insecticide. Populations of birds such as the brown pelican, bald eagle, and peregrine falcon plummeted, as DDT caused the shells of their eggs to become very thin, limiting their ability to successfully reproduce.

Use of the pesticide was banned in the U.S. in 1972, and worldwide in 2004 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. FWS credits the U.S. ban, along with extensive efforts by Louisiana and Florida to restore coastal habitat, for the recovery of the brown pelican. (The brown pelican, and a nefarious plot to sacrifice its habitat to drill oil, was the inspiration for John Grisham's The Pelican Brief.)

The FWS press release can be viewed here, and their fact sheet on the brown pelican here. A story on the announcement in the New Orleans Times Picayune (which includes some lovely pictures) can be read here. In a joint press release, Environmental Defense, National Wildlife Federation, and Audubon are all cheering the announcement, but call for continued commitment to coastal habitat and wetlands restoration. (No word yet from ESAblawg.)