The Cape Sable seaside sparrow, a tiny
bird that lives only in Florida’s Everglades
and one of the world’s most endangered
species, has started to make a comeback
this spring, environmentalists said.
A survey team has spotted at least 6,000
of the sparrows in the Everglades this spring,
up from an estimated 4,000 to 5,000. The
increase followed a decision by flooding
control engineers not to inundate a key
nesting ground.
Despite the good news, the Cape Sable
seaside sparrow remains on the endangered
list. Since 1981, its numbers have dropped
more than 60 percent. The Everglades is
home to at least 14 animal species classified
as threatened or endangered.
Ecologists had argued the best way to
save the sparrow was for flood-control
engineers to stop storing and releasing
millions of gallons of water in farm and
residential areas surrounding Everglades
National Park.
This year, the fight got as far as Washington
before engineers decided they would not
open the gates and flood an important
sparrow nesting area. Environmentalists had
warned that flooding this year could lead
to the bird’s extinction. The decision not
to open the gates had led to the upturn in
the sparrow’s population. “By doing this, we
have allowed the species to recover,” an
ecologist said.