Government designates yellow-billed cuckoo a threatened species

This August, 2013 photo provided by Point Blue Conservation Science shows a yellow-billed cuckoo, which has made the western United States its breeding ground for many years. But the migratory bird, which otherwise lives in Latin America, has seen its population dwindle in the past few decades because its habitats have been marred. NThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, announced that the western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo has been listed as a threatened species and will be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bird resides in 12 western states and in Mexico and Canada, but Arizona has the largest population. (AP Photo/Point Blue Conservation Science, Mark Dettling) (The Associated Press)

This August, 2013 photo provided by the Point Blue Conservation Science shows a yellow-billed cuckoo, which has made the western United States its breeding ground for many years. But the migratory bird, which otherwise lives in Latin America, has seen its population dwindle in the past few decades because its habitats have been marred. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, announced that the western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo has been listed as a threatened species and will be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bird resides in 12 western states and in Mexico and Canada, but Arizona has the largest population. (AP Photo/Point Blue Conservation Science, Mark Dettling) (The Associated Press)

TUCSON, Ariz. – The federal government has designated the yellow-billed cuckoo a threatened species.

The bird lives part time in the western United States and has a large presence in southern Arizona, where U.S. Fish and Wildlife is hoping to designate one of its homes as a critical habitat.

The yellow-billed cuckoo has dwindled in population over the past several decades because of changes to its habitat. There are about 350 to 495 pairs in the United States, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

The threatened species designation gives the bird special protections under the Endangered Species Act. The designation takes effect on Nov. 3.