CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
BECAUSE LIFE IS GOOD

Protecting endangered species and wild places through
science, policy, education, and environmental law.

Cactus pygmy-owl down 30% in Sonora, and still declining
as Bush Fish & Wildlife Service pushes de-listing.

NEWS RELEASE -- Nov 1 05

Contact: Daniel R. Patterson, Desert Ecologist 520.623.5252 x306

TUCSON -- A new research report summarizes population monitoring results for cactus ferruginous pygmy-owls in northern Sonora Mexico for the 2005 breeding season.

Owl abundance has declined in N. Sonora by 30% since 2000, and the overall decline is continuing, especially in areas closest to Arizona.

"This finding confirms our concerns that the Sonoran Desert population is in trouble on both sides of the border. Pygmy-owls and their habitat clearly need continued Endangered Species Act protection," said Daniel R. Patterson, Desert Ecologist with the Center. "The Bush administration push to remove protection would doom owls to extinction in the Sonoran Desert."

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