US study says sage grouse not endangered

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said on Friday its senior biologists have recommended that the greater sage grouse not be listed as an endangered species.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said on Friday its senior biologists have recommended that the greater sage grouse not be listed as an endangered species, a finding for which ranching and oil and gas interests in the West had lobbied hard.

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"There is a low risk of extinction," the service's Director Steve Williams told reporters on a conference call.

Williams will make a final decision by December 29, based on the study. He said he could not remember any occasion where he has made a decision about listing a species that went against the finding of the experts.

The announcement came as the Western Governors Association, a group that had argued against listing the bird, kicks off a meeting in San Diego to discuss the Endangered Species Act.

Williams said the best solution for protecting the bird, whose population is estimated at between 142,000 and 500,000, is for western states to continue efforts to restore the bird's habitat. The bird spends most of its time on the ground in sagebrush country.