Environmentalists have sued the Trump administration for failing to follow through on a proposal made two yearsago to protect a small, elusive marsh bird nicknamed the "feathered mouse.""The eastern black rail stands on the brink of extinction," said the lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Courtfor the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately respond to a request forcomment but generally cannot comment on lawsuits.The sparrow-sized bird has brilliant red eyes, black or dark gray feathers flecked with white and a brown nape.In the U.S., its historical range runs from coastal Massachusetts to Texas and inland to the eastern slope of theAppalachian Mountains. The birds also are found in salt, brackish and freshwater marshes in Mexico, CentralAmerica and the Caribbean but are "rare and irregular" throughout their range, according to the suit.
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