Nearly two dozen endangered species are now extinct, US agency says

“For the species proposed for delisting today, the protections of the ESA [Endangered Species Act] came too late, with most either extinct, functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the timing of Listing," the Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday. The service said it determined the species were extinct based on reviews of the best available science.

The agency stops trying to find the species and stops funding their recovery when they are removed from the ESA, said spokesman Brian Hires.

It is the biggest batch of species the government has announced as extinct, said Tierra Curry, senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit that works to prevent species from going extinct.

“It’s really sad because it basically means that they think the situation for these species is hopeless," she said, noting the biggest issue for the species was habitat loss through either dam construction or logging.

Ms. Curry said one takeaway from the government’s announcement is that endangered species need to be listed once they are in trouble, instead of waiting for them to decline so much that recovery becomes harder and more expensive. She said it takes about 12 years for a species to get on the endangered species list.

Martha Williams, principal deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency is actively engaged in preventing further extinctions. The Endangered Species Act has prevented more than 99% of the species listed from becoming extinct, the agency said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking commentary, data and information from the public until Dec. 29 about its proposal to delist the species.

Here is a look at a few on the agency’s list:

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

The ivory-billed woodpecker was last seen in 1944 in Louisiana and was listed as endangered in 1967. One of America’s largest woodpeckers, the bird has black and white feathers on its body and red feathers on the top of its head. The Fish and Wildlife Service said the loss of mature forest habitat and collection were the main threats leading to its extinction.

Freshwater Mussels

The Fish and Wildlife Service determined the flat pigtoe, southern acornshell, stirrupshell, upland combshell, green-blossom pearly, turgid-blossom pearly mussel, yellow-blossom pearly mussel and tubercled-blossom pearly mussels are all extinct. Many of these mussels were last seen in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and were often found in the Southeast U.S.

Bachman’s Warbler

The Bachman’s warbler, at one time found in Florida and South Carolina, was listed as endangered in 1967. The last confirmed sighting of the small black and yellow bird was in 1988.

San Marcos Gambusia

The San Marcos gambusia, which earlier could be found in Texas, was last seen in 1983. The small fish, which is about one-inch long, was listed as endangered three years before that.

Little Mariana Fruit Bat

The Little Mariana fruit bat used to be found in Guam and was listed as endangered in 1984. The last confirmed sighting of the bat, which is less than 10 inches long and can weigh less than 1 pound, was in 1968. Another species from Guam listed by the Fish and Wildlife Service as extinct is the bridled white-eye bird, which was listed as endangered in 1984 and last seen the year prior.

Hawaiian Birds

The yellow Kauai akialoa bird, which has a long, curved beak that points downward, was last seen in 1969. It was listed as endangered two years before that.

Other birds from Hawaii listed as extinct are the Kauai nukupuu, the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, the large Kauai thrush, the Maui ākepa, the Maui nukupuʻu, the Molokai creeper and the po`ouli. The plant known as phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis was also listed as extinct.

Hawaii and the Pacific islands are home to more than 650 animal and plant species that are listed as endangered, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.