Audubon Florida wants the state to designate the Wilson’s Plover, a type of coastal wading bird, as a threatened species.
Saying the state has fewer than 1,000 of the shorebirds, the conservation group announced Thursday it has petitioned the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for the designation.
“Designating the Wilson’s Plover as state-threatened would confer additional protections on the birds, their eggs, nests and habitat,” Audubon Florida said in a news release.
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“Activities that harm Wilson’s Plovers or degrade their habitat would require an incidental take permit from the FWC (Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), which in turn requires that the permit applicant minimize and mitigate for any harm and harassment they cause.”
Georgia and South Carolina list the species as threatened.
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