Red Knot to get federal protection under the endangered species act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced federal protection for the rufa subspecies of the red knot, a robin-sized shorebird that likes to winter in North Florida.

The bird has been designated as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act which means it is at risk of becoming endangered throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Since the 1980s, the knot’s population has fallen by about 75 percent in some key areas, largely due to declines in one of its primary food resources – horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay.

 Although this threat is now being addressed by extensive state and federal management actions, other threats, including sea-level rise, some shoreline projects and coastal development, continue to shrink the red knot’s wintering and migratory habitat.

Some rufa red knots fly more than 18,000 miles each year between breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic and wintering grounds along the Gulf Coast, southeast
United States and South America.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analyzed more than 1,700 scientific documents, and considered issues raised in more than 17 comments provided during 130 days of public comment periods and three public hearings.

The Service is currently reviewing the U.S. range of the rufa red knot to identify critical habitat. 

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