After 34 years on the endangered species list, a tiny Midwestern bird is ready to fly free of federal protection. Once diminished by hunting for feathers for hats and hurt by the damming of major rivers like the Missouri, the interior least tern population has increased tenfold since 1985, to more than 18,000. Fish and Wildlife Service, which on Wednesday proposed taking the bird off the list. "Delisting is reasonable," Center for Biological Diversity endangered species director Noah Greenwald said. Working with the Army Corps of Engineers, biologists concentrated on a smaller bird population in the lower Mississippi River.

Source: ABC News October 23, 2019 09:23 UTC