Source: http://www.thefederalregister.com/d.p/2010-08-17-2010-19965
Timestamp: 2013-12-08 00:44:57
Document Index: 196376315

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 7114', 'art 3944', 'art 6726', 'art 140', 'art 5250', 'art 1739', 'art 30206', 'art 514', 'art 9740', 'art 180', 'art 424']

14 CFR Part 7114 CFR Part 3944 CFR Part 6726 CFR Part 140 CFR Part 5250 CFR Part 1739 CFR Part 30206 CFR Part 514 CFR Part 9740 CFR Part 180	Federal Register: August 17, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 158)
DOCID: fr17au10-12
FR Doc 2010-19965
Docket ID: [Docket No. FWS-R9-ES-2009-0092; 90100-16601-FLA-B6]
RIN ID: RIN 1018-AV76
SUBJECT CATEGORY: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing Three Foreign Bird Species From Latin America and the Caribbean as Endangered Throughout Their Range DATES: This final rule is effective September 16, 2010.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered status for three species of birds from Latin America and the Caribbeanthe Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), the Chilean woodstar (Eulidia yarrellii), and the St. Lucia forest thrush (Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae)under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
Background In this final rule, we determine endangered status for the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), the Chilean woodstar (Eulidia yarrellii), and the St. Lucia forest thrush (Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae).
On November 24, 1980, we received a petition (1980 petition) from Dr. Warren B. King, Chairman of the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP), to add 60 foreign bird species to the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife (50 CFR 17.11(h)), including two species (the Chilean woodstar and the St. Lucia forest thrush) that are the subject of this final rule. In response to the 1980 petition, we published a positive 90day finding on May 12, 1981 (46 FR 26464) for 58 foreign species, noting that 2 of the foreign species identified in the petition were already listed under the Act, and initiated a status review. On January 20, 1984 (49 FR 2485), we published a 12month finding within an annual review on pending petitions and description of progress on all species petition findings addressed therein. In that notice, we found that all 58 foreign bird species from the 1980 petition were warranted but precluded by higher priority listing actions. On May 10, 1985, we published the first annual notice (50 FR 19761), in which we continued to find that listing all 58 foreign bird species from the 1980 petition was warranted but precluded. In our next annual notice, published on January 9, 1986 (51 FR 996), we found that listing 54 species from the 1980 petition, including the 2 species that are the subject of this final rule, continued to be warranted but precluded, whereas new information caused us to find that listing 4 other species in the 1980 petition was no longer warranted. We published additional annual notices on the remaining 54 species included in the 1980 petition on July 7, 1988 (53 FR 25511); December 29, 1988 (53 FR 52746); and November 21, 1991 (56 FR 58664), in which we indicated that listing the Chilean woodstar and the St. Lucia forest thrush, along with the remaining species in the 1980 petition, continued to be warranted but precluded. On May 6, 1991, we received a petition (hereafter referred to as the 1991 petition) from ICBP, to add 53 species of foreign birds to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, including the Andean flamingo, also the subject of this final rule. In response to the 1991 petition, we published a positive 90day finding on December 16, 1991 (56 FR 65207), for all 53 species, and announced the initiation of a status review. On March 28, 1994 (59 FR 14496), we published a 12month finding on the 1991 petition, along with a proposed rule to list 30 African birds under the Act (15 each from the 1980 petition and 1991 petition). In that document, we announced our finding that listing the remaining 38 species from the 1991 petition, including Andean flamingo, was warranted but precluded by higher priority listing actions. On January 12, 1995 (60 FR 2899), we published the final rule to list the 30 African birds and reiterated the warrantedbutprecluded status of the remaining species from the 1991 petition. We made subsequent warrantedbutprecluded findings for all outstanding foreign species from the 1980 and 1991 petitions, including the three species that are the subject of this final rule, as published in our annual notice of review (ANOR) on May 21, 2004 (69 FR 29354), and April 23, 2007 (72 FR 20184). Per the Service's listing priority guidelines (September 21, 1983; 48 FR 43098), our 2007 ANOR identified the listing priority numbers (LPNs) (ranging from 1 to 12) for all outstanding foreign species. The LPNs for the three species of birds in this final rule were as follows: Andean flamingo (LPN 2), Chilean woodstar (LPN 4), and St. Lucia forest thrush (LPN 3). On January 23, 2008, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ordered the Service to issue proposed listing rules for five foreign bird species, actions which had been previously determined to be warranted but precluded: Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), blackbreasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), Chilean woodstar (Eulidia yarrellii), medium tree finch (Camarhynchus pauper), and St. Lucia forest thrush (Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae). The court ordered the Service to issue proposed listing rules for these species by the end of 2008.
On July 29, 2008 (73 FR 44062), we published in the Federal Register a notice announcing our annual petition findings for foreign species. In that notice, we announced listing to be warranted for 30 foreign bird species, including the 5 species that are subject to the January 23, 2008, court order, of which 3 species are the subject of this final rule. The medium tree finch and blackbreasted puffleg are the subjects of separate rules. The proposed rules for the medium tree finch and blackbreasted puffleg published in the Federal Register on December 8, 2008 (73 FR 74434 and 73 FR 74427, respectively). The final rule for the blackbreasted puffleg published on July 27, 2010 (75 FR 43844). On December 24, 2008 (73 FR 79226), we published a Federal Register notice proposing endangered status for the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus [[Page 50815]]
andinus), the Chilean woodstar (Eulidia yarrellii), and the St. Lucia forest thrush (Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae). We implemented the Service's peer review process and opened a 60day comment period to solicit scientific and commercial information on the species from all interested parties following publication of the proposed rule. Summary of Comments and Recommendations In the proposed rule published on December 24, 2008 (73 FR 79226), we requested that all interested parties submit written comments on the proposal by February 23, 2009. We received one comment on the proposed rule from the public that did not support the proposal and one comment that supported the proposal; neither comment contained substantive information. We did not receive any requests for a public hearing. Peer Review In accordance with our peer review policy published on July 1, 1994 (59 FR 34270), we solicited expert opinion from 12 knowledgeable individuals with scientific expertise that included familiarity with the Andean flamingo, Chilean woodstar, and St. Lucia forest thrush and their habitats, biological needs, and threats. We received responses from three of the peer reviewers, one for each of the species.
Section 4 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533), and its implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 424, set forth the procedures for adding species to the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. A species may be determined to be an endangered or threatened species due to one or more of the five factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. The five factors are: (A) The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (B) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (C) disease or predation; (D) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and (E) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Below is a speciesbyspecies analysis of these five factors. The species are considered in alphabetical order, beginning with the Andean flamingo, and followed by the Chilean woodstar and the St. Lucia forest thrush. I. Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus)
Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) are gregarious, longlived birds that inhabit saline wetlands and breed in colonies (del Hoyo 1992, pp. 509
519; Caziani et al. 2007, pp. 277). The Andean flamingo is the largest member of the Phoenicopteridae family in South America, reaching an adult height of 3.5 feet (ft) (110 centimeters (cm)) (Fjelds[aring] and Krabbe 1990, p. 86). This waterbird is native to low, medium, and highaltitude wetlands in the Andean regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru (BirdLife International (BLI) 2008, p. 1; del Hoyo 1992, p. 526), where it is locally known as ``flamenco andino,'' ``parina grande,'' ``pariguana,'' ``pariwana,'' and ``chururu'' (BLI 2006, p. 1; Castro and Varela 1992, p. 26; Davison 2007, p. 2; del Hoyo 1992, p. 526; S[aacute]enz 2006, p. 185). An adult Andean flamingo has a pale yellow face and pale pink coloring overall. Its upper plumage is brighter pink, with a deeper pink to wine redcolored neck, breast, and wingcoverts (feathers on the upper wing), and prominent black tertial feathers (feathers on the posterior portion of the wing). The bill is pale yellow with a black tip, and the legs and feet are yellow (BLI 2008, p. 1; del Hoyo 1992, p. 526). Young Andean flamingos are grayish in color and achieve full adult plumage in their third year (del Hoyo 1992, p. 526). Andean flamingo is one of three flamingo species that are endemic to the high Andes of South America (Johnson et al. 1958, p. 299; Johnson 1967, p. 404; del Hoyo et al. 1992, p. 508; Line 2004, pp. 12; Caziani et al. 2007, p. 277; Arengo in litt. 2007, p. 2). All flamingos have pink plumage to varying degrees (del Hoyo 1992, p. 508). The Andean flamingo is distinguished from other South American flamingos by its size (it is the largest in the area), leg coloring (it is the only flamingo with yellow legs), and wing coloring (it has prominent black tertial feathers that form a ``V'' when the flamingo is not in flight) (BLI 2008, p. 1; del Hoyo 1992, p. 526).
The Andean flamingo was first taxonomically described as Phoenicopterus andinus (Phoenicopteridae family), by Rodulfo Philippi in 1854 (Philippi 1860, p. 164; Hellmayr 1932, p. 448). In 1856, Bonaparte split the genus Phoenicopterus, placing the Andean flamingo in a separate genus, as Phoenicoparrus andinus, along with the sympatric (species inhabiting the same or overlapping geographical areas) James' flamingos (P. jamesi) (Hellmayr and Conover 1948, pp. 273278; Jenkin 1957, p. 405). In 1990, Sibley and Monroe (1990, p. 311) suggested the Andean flamingo should be returned to the genus Phoenicopterus, based on the close genetic relatedness among all flamingo species (Sibley and Ahlquist 1989, as cited in Ramsen et al. 2007, p. 18). However, many contemporary researchers maintain that the Andean flamingo should remain within the genus Phoenicoparrus, based on bill morphology and the lack of a hind toe (BLI 2008, p. 1; Caziani et al. 2007, p. 276; del Hoyo et al. 1992, pp. 508509; Fjelds[aring] and Krabbe 1990, p. 86; Mascitti and Kravetz 2002, pp. 7383; Valqui et al. 2000, p. 110). Therefore, we accept the species as Phoenicoparrus andinus, which is also consistent with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) species database (UNEPWCMC 2008b, p. 1).
Andean flamingos are native to the Andes Mountains, from southern Peru and southwestern Bolivia to northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. They occupy shallow wetlands, collectively called salars, which are characterized as shallow, often saline, lakes (known locally as ``lagos'' or ``lagunas'') with exposed saltflats or mudflats (Boyle et al. 2004, pp. 563564; Caziani et al. 2007, pp. 277; Hurlbert and Keith 1979, pp. 328). Andean flamingos also inhabit ``bofedales,'' which are described as wet, marshy, perennial meadowlands (de la Fuente 2002, p. 1; Ducks Unlimited 2007c, p. 1). These wetlands are found at various elevations, including: (1) The high Andes, referred to as ``altiplano'' (Spanish for ``high plains''), generally above 13,123 ft (4,000 meters (m)); (2) the ``puna'' (Spanish for ``highlands''), between 9,843 and 13,123 ft (3,000 and 4,000 m); and (3) the lowlands, below 9,843 ft (3,000 m) (Caziani et al. 2001, p. 103; Caziani et al. 2007, p. 278). Andean flamingos generally occupy wetlands that are less than 3 ft (1 m) [[Page 50816]] deep (Fjelds[aring] and Krabbe 1990, p. 86; Mascitti and Caste[ntilde]era 2006, p. 331).
Most of the wetlands in which Andean flamingos are found are ``endoreic,'' ``endorheic,'' or closed. These terms refer to internallydraining water networks prevalent in the Andes that are characterized by rivers or bodies of water that do not drain into the sea, but either dry up or terminate in a basin (Caziani et al. 2001, p. 103; Hurlbert and Keith 1979, p. 328). The water levels at these basins expand and contract seasonally and depend in large part on summer rains to ``recharge'' or refill them (Bucher 1992, p. 182; Caziani and Derlindati 2000, pp. 124125; Caziani et al. 2001, p. 110; Mascitti and Caziani 1997, p. 328). Andean flamingos are altitudinal and opportunistic migrants (Goldfeder and Blanco 2007, p. 190). During the summer (December to January), Andean flamingos generally reside in the puna and altiplano regions of the Andes, at elevations between 11,483 and 14,764 ft (3,500 and 4,500 m). In the winter, they may move to lower elevationsdown to 210 ft (64 m) above sea levelalong the Peruvian coast and inland primarily to the central plains of Argentina, occasionally to Bolivia, and rarely to Paraguay (Blake 1977, p. 207; BLI 2008, pp. 1 and 6; Boyle et al. 2004, pp. 563564, 570571; Bucher 1992, p. 182; Bucher et al. 2000, p. 119; Caziani et al. 2006. p. 17; Caziani et al. 2007, pp. 277, 279, 281; del Hoyo 1992, p. 514, 519; Fjelds[aring] and Krabbe 1990, p. 85; Hurlbert and Keith 1979, pp. 330; Kahl 1975, pp. 99101; Mascitti and Bonaventura 2002, p. 360; Mascitti and Casta[ntilde]era 2006, p. 328; Romano et al. 2006, p. 17; Romano et al. 2008, pp. 45 47). They disperse widely, even while nesting, and can travel long distances, flying from 249 mi (400