RICHMOND, Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to make an initial decision on whether to protect coastal black-throated green warblers under the Endangered Species Act.

The Center and five organizations petitioned the agency in November 2023 to protect the warblers, who live in the disappearing coastal plain wetland forests of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“These warblers are one of the most imperiled birds anywhere in the world and they urgently need Endangered Species Act protection,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center. “We’re suing to make sure these birds and their ancient forests don’t disappear forever.”

The coastal black-throated green warbler, a unique subspecies of the black-throated green warbler, has suffered a 90% decline over the past century. Conservative estimates place the bird’s population at no more than 2,200 individuals.

Commercial logging, industrial agriculture and sprawl development are all driving the coastal wetland habitat destruction that has led to a long-term drop in coastal black-throated green warbler numbers. Wood pellet production for energy use, sourced primarily from Southeastern forests, is a particularly severe threat. The old-growth bald cypress and Atlantic white cedar wetland forests where the warblers live and breed are in steep decline.

The Service’s initial finding on whether the coastal black-throated green warbler may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act was due more than one year ago, in November 2024.

“This warbler’s song is the enchanting soundtrack of ancient Southern forests but they’re falling silent as these birds and their big trees vanish,” Harlan said.

Today’s suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.