The US Just Lost 23 Species To Extinction: Here's The List

The species that are newly reported as extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service include 11 birds: the Bachman's warbler, the Bridled white-eye, and the third biggest woodpecker in the world, the Ivory-billed woodpecker. Eight of the extinct birds were in Hawaii: "Kauai akialoa, Kauai nukupuu, Kauai `o`o (honeyeater), large Kauai thrush (kama), Maui akepa, Maui nukupuu, Molokai creeper (kakawahie), and po`ouli (honeycreeper)." 

The San Marcos gambusia and the Scioto madtom are two types of freshwater fish that are now being called extinct. Elsewhere, eight freshwater mussels are no longer: the flat pigtoe, green blossom pearly mussel, southern acornshell, stirrupshell, tubercled blossom pearly mussel, turgid blossom pearly mussel, upland combshell, and yellow blossom pearly mussel. Hawaii also lost a flower that somehow lacks a common name and only has a scientific name, which is Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis. Finally, the Little Mariana fruit bat is also considered extinct.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, many of the listed species have not been seen or verified in several decades. Tierra Curry said in the press release issued from the Center for Biological Diversity, "The Endangered Species Act has prevented the extinction of 99% of the plants and animals under its care, but sadly these species were extinct or nearly gone when they were listed. The tragedy will be magnified if we don't keep this from happening again by fully funding species protection and recovery efforts that move quickly. Delay equals death for vulnerable wildlife."