Kirtland's warbler to soon come off the endangered species list, could replace the robin as Michigan's state bird.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content July 29, 2019, at 1:05 a.m.
BY NEAL RUBIN, THE Detroit News
DETROIT (AP) — Any week now, the Kirtland's warbler will come off the endangered species list. Therein flies some problems.
The escape from federal protection, mind you, is good news. The Kirtland's warbler has been considered endangered since 1967, even before the passage of the Endangered Species Act.
But the warbler, which nests almost exclusively in the pine barrens of northern Michigan, is not out of the woods yet.
There's money involved, some $300,000 a year. There's gentle tweaking yet to be done with the bird's very precise habitat.
With human help, however, it has overcome the two greatest perils to its existence — a preponderance of brown-headed cowbirds, and a lack of forest fires.
It's still adorable. Still a tourist attraction. Still a far better choice than the boring ol' robin as Michigan's state bird, its fans will tell you, and they might soon try to make that official, The Detroit News reported.
But it's not a bald eagle.
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