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The yellow-billed loon is a born diver. Awkward and ungainly on land, the loon moves with grace and ease through the water, diving in an instant with its large feet propelling it toward the lakebed in search of fish. Inhabitant of the arctic reaches, this timid bird likes its privacy. But a legion of human-caused threats, including oil and gas drilling in its Alaskan breeding ground, threaten both its solitude and its survival.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE
PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed
PETITIONED: 2004
RANGE: Subarctic and arctic tundra of northern Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia in the summer; wintering occurs along the coast from British Columbia to Baja, around Scandinavia, and along the Pacific coast of Siberia
THREATS: Oil and gas development, oil spills and other contaminants, reduction of prey base from overfishing, predation of eggs and chicks, hunting, incidental bycatch, and global warming
POPULATION TREND: Worldwide or continental trends are difficult to determine. As of 2002, an estimated 8,000 yellow-billed loons resided in Canada, an additional 5,000 individuals were thought to occur in Russia, and approximately 4,000 individuals were living in Alaska.
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SAVING THE YELLOW-BILLED LOON
Population numbers for the yellow-billed loon are low and extremely vulnerable. Most of the Alaskan breeding population — and 18 percent of the global population — lives within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. In January 2004, the Bush administration opened nearly 9 million acres of the northwest portion of the reserve to oil and gas development. This area was originally set aside as important wildlife habitat.
That same year, on behalf of four U.S.-based conservation organizations and seven Russian partners, the Center filed a citizen petition to list the yellow-billed loon under the Endangered Species Act. The yellow-billed loon is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the U.S. and in Canada under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, but these fail to provide substantial protections. Endangered Species Act protection, along with designation of critical habitat, is essential to save the species from habitat destruction, global warming, oil spills, irresponsible fishing practices, and other threats.
In June 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally responded to our 2004 listing petition, concluding that the loon may warrant the protections of the Endangered Species Act — but still failing to issue a listing proposal. In December, we and our allies filed suit to force the overdue proposal, and in April 2008, the Department of the Interior agreed to make a listing decision by mid-February 2009.
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Contact: Brendan Cummings
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