The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) voted 3-2 on Wednesday in favor of listing the Tricolored Blackbird as endangered on an emergency basis. The vote was in response to an October 2014 petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity to list the species due to its diminishing numbers. The listing was previously discussed at the Commission’s August meeting, where the members decided not to list the Tricolored Blackbird at that time. No changes have occurred in the status of the Tricolored Blackbird population since then.
The Tricolored Blackbird has habitat throughout the state. While an exact cause of the species decline has not been identified, some researchers believe that the drought is playing a major role in the decreasing numbers. Listing the species on an emergency basis allows the State to immediately put protections in place for the Tricolored Blackbird. Emergency listings such as this one are rare, particularly because the public has not had the benefit of reviewing and commenting on the evaluation of the petition by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The emergency listing is valid for 180 days. If the Commission has not adopted permanent regulations listing the Tricolored Blackbird within that timeframe, they must adopt new emergency regulations or the listing becomes invalid. RCRC joined with a coalition including the California Farm Bureau Federation, the California Building Industry Association, and the California Chamber of Commerce in filing comments opposing the listing in July 2014, which can be viewed here. The petition to list the species can be accessed here.