In August 2024, the 1,000th captive-bred Florida grasshopper sparrow was released into the wild. After observing only 50 of these birds in the wild in 2015, conservationists moved the remaining breeding birds into captivity in an attempt save the species. These five-inch-tall birds are native to the prairie regions of central Florida and play a crucial part in the local food web, including controlling insect populations. The sparrow’s population decline was due to habitat loss and degradation. Scientists caution that the wild population of Florida grasshopper sparrows is not stable enough to declare the species saved, but the release is a major milestone in its recovery.