Conservationists are once again suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in hopes of listing the Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle as endangered.
The ongoing fight is centered around the question: Are desert eagles sufficiently different enough from bald eagles to be considered for protection?
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Maricopa Audubon Society want the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct yet another review of the eagle’s status. The previous two studies by the federal agency concluded the eagle did not deserve special status. But these studies were both rejected in court.
In April the federal government took the Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle off the endangered species list. Currently there are about 200 Sonoran Desert Bald Eagles and 50 active nests, mostly in Arizona.
