[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