Efforts to conserve this endangered species centers around the restoration of its natural riparian woodland habitat and addressing cowbird parasitism.
Cowbird parasitism
Cowbirds are extreme generalists and parasitize nearly every passerine species with which they are sympatric. As brood parasites, they lay their eggs in the nests of songbirds like the Least Bell's Vireo, fooling them into raising these chicks as their own. Furthermore, some cowbird species have a habit of poking holes in the unhatched eggs they come across; thus it is not surprising that they are the driving force behind the decline of the Least Bell’s Vireo. In areas with active cowbird control programs, vireo productivity apparently has been enhanced. In 1983, after the Least Bell’s Vireo received legal endangered status, cowbird trapping began at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. After trapping began, parasitism of the Least Bell’s Vireo dropped, and the productivity and numbers of the species increased. This demonstrates that there is a direct relationship between cowbird trapping and vireo recovery. An expansion of such efforts and a long-term commitment to cowbird control and vireo nest monitoring to remove cowbird eggs will be essential.
Habitat preservation and restoration
Extensive suitable riparian habitat for the Least Bell’s Vireo must be secured and protected so that the population can increase and be maintained. High quality, early successional stage riparian woodland is essential for providing adequate nesting habitat. Methods to reintroduce vireos into the Central Valley and other areas within the historical range that are presently unoccupied should be evaluated. Exotic plants, such as the Arundo donax flowers, which tend to form large, continuous clonal root masses at the expense of native riparian vegetation, must be eradicated. This can be done by systematic applications of an herbicide called Rodeo, which kills the root mass. The removal of A. donax will have a far greater beneficial effect on most riparian species than planting of riparian vegetation. Artificially-produced riparian habitats lack the high stem densities characteristic of naturally regenerating riparian habitats. If these steps are followed, the Least Bell’s Vireo will no longer be an endangered species in the future.
Taking responsibility
In order for people and the Little Bell’s Vireo to coexist harmoniously, the former has to acquire the ability to appreciate the importance behind the latter’s mere presence. As we dwell deeper into the abyss formed by this disconnected world of ours, very little remains that can enrich our lives. These creatures of nature fill that void in our everyday lives with their enchanting peeps, which come together to give rise to fantastical songs. When we step outside, the pressure posed by the increasingly concerning environmental issues is mitigated upon hearing the transforming singings the Least Bell’s Vireo. As such, they provide us with irreplaceable social benefits. All this must be realized if there is balance to be had. People must not give into their greed and destroy even more of the habitats of these creatures for the materialistic world of theirs. Instead, people should further research this species and get ahold of additional information on vireo population ecology, genetics, and biological requirements, which they then should assess to maximise the reproduction of the species.