Native Washington bird species listed as threatened

LACEY, Wash. - A Pacific Northwest native bird species is likely to be in danger of extinction.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan is now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

These birds are some of the few animals that live in high-elevation environments throughout their entire life. They can typically be found in the Cascade Mountains from Mount Adams northward into southern British Columbia.

USFWS says the loss and degradation of its natural habitat due to climate change will endanger the birds in the near future. Climate change is expected to cause up to 95 percent of the bird's habitat to be lost in the coming decades.

The listing comes shortly after the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act last year.

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