Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration, accusing it of failing to protect a mysterious marsh bird that has recently been found to have a small and fragile population on the Louisiana coast.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in New Orleans on Thursday by the Center for Biological Diversity and the New Orleans group Healthy Gulf says the eastern black rail should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

“These charmingly odd, elusive birds are being shoved toward extinction because the Trump administration can’t be bothered to protect them,” Stephanie Kurose, an attorney at the center, said in a statement. “If we want to prevent eastern black rails from becoming the latest victim of the extinction crisis, we have to quickly get them the legal protections they desperately need.”

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the black rail as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 2018. It’s taking longer and longer for the government to award ESA status, with the average wait now topping 12 years, according to the center. At least 47 species have gone extinct while awaiting protection.

The beignet-sized black rail has red eyes, gray feathers and big feet. It rarely flies, instead preferring to creep around remote wetlands at night.

The bird once ranged across salt and freshwater marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, but these habitats have been disappearing under growing cities and farms. Black rail populations have declined by as much as 90 percent in some coastal areas.

Sea level rise and Louisiana’s coastal land loss crisis pose new challenges for the bird. With low numbers and little habitat left, regional black rail populations could be crippled or wiped out by a hurricane or flooding.

“Swift action to protect wetland habitat will ensure survival of the black rail and preserve the natural lines of defense for communities against storms and flooding.” said Cynthia Sarthou, Healthy Gulf’s executive director.

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Another looming issue is the liquid natural gas boom in southwest Louisiana. One export terminal recently opened in Cameron Parish, a hotbed for black rail activity, and several more LNG facilities are planned in the area.

Over the past three years, Audubon Louisiana has collected one of the continent's richest pools of data on the elusive bird. The group's research, focused in Cameron and Vermilion parishes, has more than quadrupled the number of confirmed black rail sightings in Louisiana. It’s producing new insights into how the black rail feeds, migrates and breeds — all of which will be critical if the bird is granted endangered species status.

The center predicts the black rail could be extinct in fewer than 50 years without protection.