Federal officials say they won't consider adding the Black Hills population of a rare bird to a list of protected species.

Conservation groups submitted a petition seeking protection under the Endangered Species Act for the Black Hills population of the American dipper. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials says the petition doesn't provide enough evidence that protection may be warranted.

The American dipper is a small, gray songbird that lives in Canada, Mexico and the western United States, including the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Federal officials say although isolated, the American dipper in the Black Hills can't be considered a distinct population.  Officials will continue to monitor the bird.