Conservationists have sued the federal government over what they say is a failure to protect the habitat of two endangered bird species along the Gila River in Arizona.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society say the Southwestern willow flycatcher and the Western yellow-billed cuckoo are threatened by cattle that damage critical streams.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tucson focuses on grazing allotments over 15 miles of the river downstream from the Coolidge Dam.
The groups say more than 90% of the birds’ riparian habitat in the area was damaged and that the unauthorized grazing violates the Endangered Species Act.