“These days, the diminutive songbird, which weighs less than an ounce, is at the center of a classic environment-versus-development confrontation over emerging efforts to end its 25-year status as an endangered species. Those who are calling for the delisting maintain that the protections are based on inaccurate data, impede development in the high-growth Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas and restrict training at Fort Hood, one of the world’s largest military installations.”

“The warbler showdown is also part of a continuing debate over the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which imposes federal protections on plants and animals deemed in danger of extinction. More than 1,500 United States species, including the warbler, are listed as threatened or endangered.”

Read the full article from the New York Times