Red knot named to threatened species list

The rufa red knot, which wouldn't survive a 9,300-mile northern migration without stopping to feast along the Delaware Bay, is now a threatened species.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife representatives said Dec. 9 the rare red knot is threatened by climate change, sea level rise and other associated factors, making the red knot the first bird in the United States to be protected by the Endangered Species Act due to climate change effects.

“This listing today is, I think, sending a clear message about the threats that species like the red knot are facing from the effects of a changing global climate system,” said Dan Ashe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director. “By taking care of their ecological needs, we're taking care of ourselves.”

The red knot's stop along the Delaware Bay – usually in the last three weeks of May – follows the spring arrival of thousands of spawning horseshoe crabs, which fill the beaches with millions of pinhead-sized eggs – a coastal feast for the hungry red knots.

The red-breasted, robin-sized shorebirds arrive at the Delaware Bay practically emaciated, said Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's Biodiversity Program Manager Kevin Kalasz, and by the time the birds are ready to finish their northern journey about 10 days later, they've doubled their weight.

"They have the fastest rate of weight gain in all the animal kingdom," he said.

Since the 1980s, the red knot population has fallen by about 75 percent in key portions of its migration, which spans a round trip of more than 18,000 miles from wintering grounds on the southern tip of South America to breeding areas in the Canadian Arctic, Ashe said.

“The red knot is an amazing creature,” Ashe said. “It has one of these truly kind of mystical, magical migrations.”

The rufa red knot is a threatened species as it travels across 40 states and 27 countries, officials said.

Scientists have directly linked the decline of the red knot to commercial overharvesting of horseshoe crabs, said Deborah Rocque, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Northeast Region deputy regional director. Management plans have stabilized the crab population, she said, which also stabilized recent populations of red knots.

“The listing will strengthen many global, national, regional and state-specific conservation efforts already underway,” she said.

Kalasz said the change in status will place emphasis on conservation efforts, but a U.S. Fish and Wildlife critical habitat rule and development of a recovery plan will clarify what the status will mean in Delaware.

"Delaware's always put a high priority on migrating shorebird conservation, so we're going to continue to do that," he said. "We certainly understand the importance of the Delaware Bay for those species."

Kalasz said biologists haven't seen a decline in population since 2003. In spring 2014, scientists estimated that 44,000 birds stopped along the Delaware Bay.

"By having the red knot listed as threatened and a primary factor being climate change ... I think it's just one more thing to bring climate change issues to the forefront," Kalasz said. "If wildlife is struggling, humans aren't far behind."

The red knot was initially proposed to be listed as a threatened species in September 2013; the determination came after 130 days of public comment, three public hearings and more than 17,400 comments regarding the decision.

“This listing is not an end, but really a beginning as we now begin to contemplate how we can conserve and recover the bird into the future,” Ashe said.

For more information about the listing and the rufa red knot, go to www.fws.gov/northeast/redknot.