[Pollinator] Fwd: Pollinators & Smuggling: TX man pleads guilty to smuggling dead hummingbirds

[Peter Bernhardt]

Dear Lisa and Patricia:

A classic book to read is "Hummingbirds and their Flowers" by Verne and
Karen Grant (former Professors at the U. of Texas at Austin). This was one
of the first books to consider the evolutionary and ecological impact of
hummingbirds on the flora North of our Mexican border.  It has been years
since I read it but I recall that 6 hummingbird species migrate north in
the United States.  All but one or two species nest west of the Mississippi
with California and the American southwest the center of their diversity in
the Spring and summer.

In Australia, these days, some bird pollinators may be "spoiled" by people.
 The birds expect nectar substitutes and people give it to them although
they may not be healthy and lead to fatal, fungal infections.  Go to
Youtube and enter the word, lorrikeet, and you will see what I mean.
 Below, is a link to one of the few Youtube videos showing a rainbow
lorrikeet foraging naturally on a native red-orange Eucalyptus species.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHq-ao2GZv0

Peter


On Thu, Sep 4, 2014 at 2:24 PM, Lisa Horth <lisahorth at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for sharing this.
>
> A good example of a Lacey Act violation for my 40 conservation biology
> students, who will learn about this next week!
>
> Lisa
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 4, 2014 at 11:30 AM, De Angelis, Patricia <
> patricia_deangelis at fws.gov> wrote:
>
>>  Hummingbirds, important pollinators for a variety of flowers, shrubs,
>> and trees,* are being affected by the illegal wildlife trade.  The entire
>> family Trochilidae (=all hummingbirds) has been protected under the
>> Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
>> Flora (CITES) since 1987. This means  that international trade in the
>> species is not allowed without a permit that signifies that the trade
>> conforms to national laws of the country of origin and that the trade is
>> not detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.  The Lacey Act
>> makes it illegal to export, sell, acquire or purchase fish, wildlife or
>> plants in violation of any laws (domestic or foreign) pertaining to said
>> taxa. Hummingbirds are also protected under the Wild Bird Conservation Act
>> to ensure that bird species are not harmed by international trade.  Two
>> foreign species of hummingbird are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species
>> Act as 'Endangered' and 'Proposed Endangered.'  (Search “hummingbird,” at: <
>> www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html>)
>>
>>
>>
>> *Pollinator Tidbits: Hummingbirds are native only to the New World
>> and pollinate plants with red, orange, and yellow tube-like flowers.
>>  "Ornithopily" describes plant-bird pollination syndromes, including those
>> involving hummingbirds.
>>
>> Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
>> Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife
>> Service-International Affairs
>> Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance
>> 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA
>> Falls Church, VA 22041-3803
>> 703-358-1708 x 1753
>> 703-358-2276 (FAX)
>>
>> ---------------------------
>> Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - 2:31pm
>>
>> TYLER, TEXAS (KETK) — A 53-year-old Dallas man has pleaded guilty to
>> smuggling charges in a Tyler courtoom.
>>
>> Carlos Delgado Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 14,
>> 2014, and charged with smuggling dead hummingbirds from Mexico into the
>> United States.
>>
>> According to the indictment, from February 2013 through January 2014,
>> Rodriguez is alleged to have unlawfully imported approximately 61 dead
>> hummingbirds, of various varieties, into the United States for sale. The
>> five-count indictment specifically alleges that the importation of dead
>> hummingbirds violates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
>> Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
>> (MBTA), the Lacey Act, the federal smuggling law, and Texas State Law.
>>
>> If convicted, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
>>
>> Rodriguez pleaded guilty August 27, 2014.
>>
>> A date for sentencing has not been set.
>>
>> http://www.ketknbc.com/news/crimewatch/tx-man-pleads-guilty-to-smuggling-dead-hummingbird
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
>
> Associate Professor
> Dept of Biological Science
> Old Dominion University
> Norfolk, VA 23529
> lhorth at odu.edu
>
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