The New Bird That Could Be Listed As Endangered In Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA — Citing its plummeting population and shrinking range, environmental officials in Pennsylvania have recommended that a new bird, the northern goshawk, be listed as endangered. In the same meeting, the peregrine falcon, which has long had unsteady population numbers but has seen its standing improve lately, was recommended for removal from the threatened list.

The disparate recommendations, given preliminary approval by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, reflect the mercurial nature of habitat conservation efforts in a region experiencing rapid development and shrinking woodland.

For the northern goshawk, the move comes after a dramatic drop in its numbers over the past two decades.

"Classifying the northern goshawk as an endangered species would further protect it by limiting or delaying certain activities within northern goshawk breeding habitat during courtship and nesting seasons," the Pennsylvania Game Commission said in a statement.

The board will meet again in September to decide on final approval. While affording the northern goshawk some protections, addition to the state's endangered species list is entirely separate — and the protections notably milder — from the federal Endangered Species Act.

The northern goshawk is just one of several raptor species seeing decline across the country. Northern harriers, sharp shinned hawks, rough-legged hawks, and American kestrels have also seen notable declines. This is according to the latest numbers from the Raptor Population Index Project, which is informed in part by Berks County's Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, published this month.

"Healthy raptor populations signal a healthy ecosystem, and by association, healthy human habitat as well," Dave Oleyar, Director of Long-term Monitoring and Community Science at HawkWatch International, said in a statement.

Other birds, however, are seeing recovery, the same study notes. That includes bald eagles. In Pennsylvania, it includes the peregrine falcon.

As recently as 2019, the falcon was on the state endangered species list. It's been listed as threatened ever since, but has seen its population recover significantly after some 40 years of conservation work, game officials said.

If the move off the threatened list is approved, the Game Commission said it would mark the third high-profile recovery of a raptor species in Pennsylvania, after similar victories from the bald eagle and osprey. This "demonstrates that placing a species on the endangered or threatened list is not a permanent designation, and recovery is an achievable goal," officials said in a statement.

That's what officials hope can happen with the northern goshawk.

Known for its cunning, speed, and indiscrimination in choice of prey, the northern goshawk is most commonly found in the large, mature, higher elevation forests of northern Pennsylvania.

In addition to threats from the expanding human presence and development, climate change could also play a role: Audubon Society projections indicate that the bird could lose up to 60 percent of its summer habitat in Pennsylvania, if average temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius. Milder temperature increases could still lead to significant habitat loss, Audubon notes.

If approved at the September meeting, the northern goshawk would become the 22nd species on Pennsylvania's endangered list.