NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. officials moved on Tuesday to protect the monarch, an iconic orange and black butterfly famous for its marathon migration across North America, under the Endangered Species Act.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to designate the tiny butterfly as threatened with extinction could have enormous consequences for landowners across its huge range, which extends across much of the Lower 48 as the monarch makes its epic annual flight from the mountains of Mexico through the United States and into Canada," reported The Washington Post about the move.

If the proposed rule is finalized, the monarch would become one of the most widespread species ever protected under the landmark law, the report noted.

"But federal scientists say the move is necessary because several factors -- including logging in the butterfly's overwintering habitat in Mexico, destruction of grasslands in the United States, chemicals applied to the plants and climate change -- are decimating its population," it added. Enditem

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