Definitions for "CANDIDATE SPECIES"
Species for which a Federal agency, bureau, or service has sufficient information on the species' status and threats to support proposing the species for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but for which issuance of a proposed rule is currently precluded by higher priority listing actions.
(3) species not protected under the Endangered Species Act but under consideration by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion on the list of federally threatened or endangered species.
a species for which we have on file sufficient information to propose it for protection under the Act