Rare Sparrow to Die Out by 2035, Several Other Species in Maine Also Faces Possible Extinction

Officials warn that a rare sparrow might die out by 2023 along with several other species in Maine that are also facing the risk of extinction. Read more here.

Rare Sparrow and Several Other Species

Maine officials are seeking to add the Saltmarsh sparrow and Ashton's cuckoo to the state's endangered species list. The Saltmarsh sparrow, a secretive little songbird, is under a dire threat from rising sea levels caused by more frequent storm surges that are causing nest failures.

Scientists warn that the bird could be extinct as soon as 2035, becoming the first U.S. bird casualty of a rising sea. Ashton's cuckoo, the hive-stealing bumblebee, was once believed to be locally extinct but may be making a comeback.

University of Maine ornithology professor Brian Olsen has been studying the Saltmarsh sparrow since 2012 and stresses that it is a U.S. songbird and a Maine songbird, and that saving it is crucial.

Endangered List

According to Olsen, protecting and restoring Maine's saltmarsh habitat can benefit several species, including birds, amphibians, fish, and nearby communities that depend on the marsh for flood protection and carbon sequestration. Maine officials have proposed adding four birds, a bat, and a beetle to the state's threatened species list while seeking to remove a turtle and a dragonfly from the endangered list.

A state listing can provide new funds, protect a species from large-scale development, and increase public awareness and voluntary conservation measures. These would be the first changes to the state's endangered list since 2015 and the sixth round of amendments since its creation in 1984.

The Inland Wetlands and Wildlife Committee supported the proposed changes, except for the Eastern box turtle, which was removed from the endangered list due to the absence of a locally established breeding population. State wildlife officials believe that climate change, which has contributed to the declining numbers of several species, may require more frequent updates to the state list. It is unlikely that lawmakers will wait for another eight years for an update.

A list of this year's candidates for species to be listed as endangered and threatened is posted on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website.

The Saltmarsh Sparrow Decline

The Saltmarsh sparrow is declining rapidly, with a 9% decline nationally and almost 11% decline in Maine each year. This could result in local extinction, or extirpation, in eight years. Rising seas and more frequent storms may not allow the birds enough time to nest and raise their young before the nests are flooded.

The Saltmarsh sparrows are declining rapidly across their breeding range, with New England experiencing a faster decline. Saltmarsh restoration work by the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Reserve and Ducks Unlimited provides hope for the survival of the species.

These projects include old salt hay farming methods and sediment dredging to elevate nesting areas.

Ashton's Cuckoo Bumblebee

In the early 2000s, Maine's bumblebee population experienced a decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and the spread of non-native pathogens. Historical records indicated that Maine had 17 native bumblebee species, with the Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee being the rarest, relying on host species that had also declined.

However, the Maine Bumble Bee Atlas citizen science project, launched in response to the declines, discovered a single Ashton's cuckoo in northeastern Maine in 2017, giving researchers hope. The project collected 27,000 photographs or pinned specimens from 2015 to 2020, and its findings helped identify the survival of the Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee.

The state's lack of resources for statewide surveys prompted the project's creation, which revealed more information about the bumblebee fauna in Maine. The Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee discovery was a result of the project's collaboration between professional scientists and over 200 trained volunteers who collected data across the state.

While the yellow-banded bumblebee, one of the Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee host species, is in recovery, the Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee's recovery depends on whether it is not too far gone. The rediscovery of a colony across the St. John River in New Brunswick suggests that more data needs to be collected to help with the Ashton's cuckoo bumblebee's survival.

Climate Change

The Margined tiger beetle is recommended by the state as another species dependent on the disappearing saltmarsh for its survival, which is why it wants to list it as threatened.

The Blackpoll warbler and Bicknell's Thrush, found in the high-elevation spruce-fir forests in western Maine, are impacted by rising temperatures and precipitation swings caused by climate change.

The cliff swallow and bank swallow have suffered population collapses due to false springs, which cause insects to go dormant, and erosion caused by stronger and more frequent storms.

According to Medium, as scientists learn more about false springs, it becomes increasingly clear that these unusually warm periods are taking their toll on the planet and potentially creating serious problems. Animals are tricked into emerging from hibernation early by false springs, only to find that the plants they depend on for survival are still frozen.

Rising sea levels also pose a threat to the bank swallow, which nests in sand dune banks.

The tri-colored bat is threatened by an invasive pathogen that causes White-nose syndrome, unlike other cave-roosting bats in Maine that are threatened by climate change, The Press Herald reports.