Salmon-Crested Cockatoo Listed as ‘Threatened’

WASHINGTON (CN) - The salmon-crested cockatoo is threatened by deforestation of its native Indonesian islands and will be protected under the Endangered Species Act, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency first recognized that listing the species under the act was warranted in 1994, but listing at that time, and every year until 2008, was precluded by higher listing priorities.

In June, 2008 the agency announced that it would "promptly publish" a proposed listing for the salmon-crested cockatoo, and when it did not do so, the Center for Biological Diversity threatened to sue. The two sides reached a settlement agreement in 2009, which led to a proposed listing in November of that year.

Part of the agency's decision includes a special provision allowing the import and export without a permit, of individual birds that have been in captivity since before Jan. 18, 1990. Normally, listing of foreign species under the act precludes their import to or export from the United States.

The agency said the special provision was called for to provide a safe harbor for long-time bird owners and as a necessary to help with conservation and breeding efforts.

While these birds will be exempted from permit requirements under the act, their import or export still will have to conform to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Wild Bird Conservation Act.

The Wild Bird Conservation Act discourages importing of foreign specimens, by requiring any individual importing their pet bird into the U.S. for the first time to live outside the U.S. for at least 12 continuous months.

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