U.S. Eyes Havens for Gnatcatchers

The once-common coastal California gnatcatcher could get some protection from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if more than 124,000 acres of land are designated as critical habitat for the threatened songbird.

The protected areas would include 120,000 acres of federal land and about 4,600 acres of nonfederal land in Orange, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, Fish and Wildlife officials said Monday.

The government agency said the critical-habitat designation would be “prudent,” although further studies will be done before a final proposal is drafted.

Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies must consult the Fish and Wildlife Service before doing anything on protected land.

The California gnatcatcher population was once widespread from Ventura County southward along the coast to northern Baja California, agency officials said.

The bird is dependent on coastal sagebrush for breeding. But urban development has destroyed much of the brush over the last several decades, and with that, the gnatcatcher population has dwindled.

The bird was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1993.