Rarest Songbird in the US Declared Extinct as Last Sighting Recorded 60 Years Ago

A Bachman's warbler, the rarest songbird in the US, hasn't been sighted in about 60 years. Without any other confirmed sightings, officials have now been classified as "extinct."

Bachman's Warbler: Rarest Bird in the US

The Bachman's warbler, once one of North America's rarest songbirds, migrated through Florida and was last seen in Cuba in 1988. Regrettably, the US Fish and Wildlife Service now deems it likely extinct. This designation extends to 21 species, including the Mariana fruit bat of Guam, a Texas fish, and nine southeastern mussels, marking their impending demise.

Characterized by its distinct bright yellow face and curved beak, the Bachman's warbler belonged to the wood warbler family, known for its high-pitched, buzzy "zeep" call. Scant information is available about its history and habitat. Only a few images and one preserved carcass in the Florida Museum of Natural History exist. John James Audubon commissioned an illustration of this bird and named it after its discoverer, John Bachman.

Audubon described the warbler as lively and agile, catching insects mid-air like a Flycatcher. During migration, they traversed Florida in spring along the Gulf Coast before wintering in Cuba. Florida's strategic location makes it a central hub for countless migratory bird species, drawing millions annually, according to Julie Wraithmell, the executive director of Audubon Florida.

Decline of the Population

The Bachman's warbler thrived in lowland flood plains, notably the Everglades in Florida. The last confirmed nest sighting was in 1937. Human development and the suppression of vital wildfires led to habitat loss, causing a gradual decline in their population prior to conservation efforts.

This emphasizes the importance of early species preservation, as recovery is costlier and more challenging once significant impacts occur. Floridians should prioritize wise land-use decisions and protect vital natural resources for the survival of at-risk species.

Officially Declared Extinct

Bachman's warblers have been an exceedingly rare sight for over a century, making Monday's announcement expected yet undeniably disheartening. Julie Wraithmell expressed sadness at Florida's loss of this unique species, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging its absence.

Noah Greenwald, from the Center for Biological Diversity, explained that these warblers thrived in North Carolina until the early 1900s, but clear-cut logging and lighthouse collisions devastated their habitats and populations. The bird was declared endangered in 1967, despite no US sightings since 1962, suggesting its likely extinction even before the Endangered Species Act.

Efforts to locate Bachman's warblers dwindled over the years, with extensive surveys from 1975 to 1979 yielding no signs of the species. Although reliable sightings were reported in Congaree National Park, South Carolina, in 2001, exhaustive searches failed to confirm their presence. Greenwald believed that if they still existed, they would have been sighted by now.

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One of The 21 Officially Extinct

The US Fish and Wildlife Service bases its designation of extinction on rigorous examinations of the best available scientific inquiry for each of the delisted species, according to a news release, even though the 21 species delisted on that day were probably extinct by the 1970s or 1980s.

The statement, according to Greenwald, should serve as a "wake-up call."

According to Greenwald, everyone should be concerned about how humanity is ultimately destroying the web of life that underpins their entire existence.