Marbled Murrelets are now listed as Endangered by the states of Oregon, Washington, and California – essentially across their American coastal range (photo by Tim Zurowski).

Oregon recently joined Washington and California to protect Marbled Murrelets as a state Endangered Species under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. Last month, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reclassify Marbled Murrelets from Threatened to Endangered. The added protections come at a critical time for this species, which depends on offshore marine areas for feeding and old-growth forests for nesting, including old-growth redwood forests. Marbled Murrelets are federally listed as Threatened, but this state declaration will provide additional protections on Oregon state lands, along with other assistance.

“We are relieved the Commission voted in favor of uplisting the Marbled Murrelet to Endangered status,” said Jennifer Davis, the American Bird Conservancy’s Northwestern Regional Director. “This elusive species is extremely vulnerable to a host of threats, and without additional protections, it is at real risk of irreversible decline. We thank the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for this vote in favor of murrelets.” ABC will continue to work with partners and stakeholders in the region to ensure that Marbled Murrelets are able to continue to inhabit the Pacific Northwest for generations to come.

Learn more about the American Bird Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas, at https://abcbirds.org/article/oregon-lists-marbled-murrelet-endangered/