Bird that frequented Corkscrew Swamp now considered extinct

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted 21 species from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction.

The list included mammals, fish, birds and mussels.

Who knows what you’ll find if you head to the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp and Sanctuary? A red-headed woodpecker, a gallinule, a raccoon? What you won’t find: a Bachman’s warbler.

“Bachman’s warbler is sort of one of those really special species that, as a birder, you’ve always heard about,” said Keith Laakkonen, Corkscrew Swamp and Sanctuary Director. “They were presumed extinct for so long, but you know, everybody sort of has the hope that they might be the one to rediscover it, but unfortunately, with the news of them being declared extinct, it really brings a somber note to how we think about the species now.”

The bird used to frequent the sanctuary during migration.

Andy Kratter, a collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, showed WINK News Environmental Reporter Liz Biro the one preserved carcass in its collection.

​”It’s a male. You can tell by the plumage. The female doesn’t have that little black chest patch,” said Kratter. “I think it’s a collective sadness. Not just among birders, but any environmental naturalist type person.”

Click here for the full list of delisted species from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.