U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists red knot as ‘threatened’

On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service elevated the status for the rufa subspecies of the red knot bird to ‘threatened.’

The Carteret County News Times reported that the bird’s new status was designated under the Endangered Species Act.

“Unfortunately, this hearty shorebird is no match for the widespread effects of emerging challenges like climate change and coastal development, coupled with the historic impacts of horseshoe crab overharvesting, which have sharply reduced its population in recent decades,” FWS Service Director Dan Ashe said.

The Associated Press noted that the state of New Jersey already protects the bird and ruled it endangered in 2012.

The ESA ruling means that killing, shooting, hunting or otherwise harming the bird in any way is prohibited.

The red knot bird follows an annual migration pattern from South America to the polar regions of North America, where it breeds in the summer months. During the migration in the spring and fall, the red knot stops at Hatteras Island beaches in North Carolina to rest and feed.

image shared via Twitter by James M. O'Neill