The yellow-billed magpie, which is only found in the Central Valley and coastal ranges of California, was named the Audubon California’s Bird of the Year for 2009. During the past decade or so, the species was declining due to habitat loss, pesticides, and even West Nile Virus. The point of the Bird of the Year poll was to highlight the interesting and diverse birds that live in California. Also, the birds face challenges in conservation.
The online poll, started on October 21, received nearly 3,000 votes. The birds included were the yellow-billed magpie, California condor, brown pelican, western snowy plover, peregrine falcon, and acorn woodpecker. The magpie received about 26 % of the vote with the California condor and western snowy plover came in second and third.
Starting in the mid-90s the yellow-billed magpie started to decline. With the introduction of West Nile Virus, their decline accelerated. The decline was between 22 and 42% during the years of 1995 – 2006. However, within the last year or so, data is showing that the magpies are recovering from their decline. Conservation and monitoring of the magpies throughout California will continue and with its 2009 Bird of the Year status more people will know about it.
Even though the other birds did not win, Audubon California still wanted to highlight that these birds are still a focus of their conservation efforts throughout 2009.
Picture: credit to Flickr user jsutton8.
