or many of us, common migratory
birds are such a regular sight we
often don’t stop to take note. The
blackbirds hopping around our
yards, the warblers singing from the trees and
the swifts winging through the air are barely
worth a second glance. But what if that wasn’t
the case? What if seeing a shape flying through
the sky was an event, rather than a common
occurrence? Without conservation legislation
in place to protect our birds from threats such
as pollution and habitat loss, this hypothetical
situation could be a very stark reality.
Take as an example the Snowy Egret Egretta
thula – a widespread species, which breeds
throughout the southern US, and with numbers
increasing, is today more common than ever.
But it was nearly hunted into the record books
by plume hunters in the late 1800s.
The Snowy Egret owes its rapid recovery
to one of the oldest and most important bird
protection laws ever passed – the US Migratory
Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Passed by US Congress
in 1918 – just four years removed from the
death of Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon
Ectopistes migratorius – this influentia l law has
been credited with saving numerous species
from extinction or extirpation – including Snowy
F
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Photo DesiDrew
Photography/
Shutterstock
Egret, Wood Duck Aix sponsa and Sandhill
Crane Antigone Canadensis, and the lives of
millions, if not billions, of birds.
The regulation came about as a response
to the extinction of several species -- based
partly on the extensive killing of birds so that
their feathers could be used to decorate hats.
The MBTA, which is considered one of the first
major victories of the National Audubon Society
(BirdLife in the US), prohibits the killing, trading,
possession, sale or capture of any migratory bird
in the US, and, as of 2013, protects more than
1,000 species. Simply put, it serves to keep birds
safe from people.
Since its passing, the MBTA has evolved and
grown; broadening its international scope via
treaties with Japan, Russia, Great Britain and
Mexico, and expanding its reach to an additional
32 families of birds in 1972, including eagles,
owls and corvids. More recently, interpretations
of the regulation have held that incidental
killings of birds by companies is also illegal,
and requires industries to implement best
practices such as covering tar pits or marking
transmission lines, or else face large fines. BP,
for example, paid $100 million for killing tens of
thousands of birds with its Deepwater Horizon
Snowy Egret
Photo Scott J Lakso
4
Wood Duck Aix sponsa
Photo Collins93/
Shutterstock
0
Snow Goose Anser
caerulescens
Robert L Kothenbeutel/
Shutterstock
2
apr-jun 2018 • birdlife
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