sign in sign up
<<
Home , Georgian Bay, Northern Ontario, Rainy River District, Thunder Bay (Ontario)

SPECIES AT RISK IN NORTHERN

FISH PLANTS INSECTS 1 ENDANGERED

Endangered species live in the wild in Ontario and are facing imminent extinction or extirpation. Generally, these species and their habitats are protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007. Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Description Threats jacksoni subspecies American Badger • Glossy brown fur • Fungal disease called white nose syndrome (Taxidea taxus jacksoni) • Can be four to five centimetres long, • Wind turbines Endangered Provincially and Nationally weighing four to 11 grams, with wingspan • Habitat loss of 22 to 27 centimetres Description Range • Closely resembles northern long-eared • Short, sturdy member of the weasel • Ranges from California to the bat but distinguished by long, thin fleshy Protection family; grey, with dark legs; bold black • Fewer than 200 live in Ontario, primarily in projection with rounded tip at opening • Provincially protected under the and white stripes on head and face the southwest near of ears Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Long claws and a streamlined skull make • Also found in in the • Hibernates from September / October, • Federally protected under the badgers excellent diggers and Rainy River until April / June Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Inhabits tallgrass prairie, sand barrens • Nocturnal, most active during first three and farmland hours after sunset Threats • Feeds on groundhogs, rabbits and • Habitat loss small rodents Range • Nocturnal • Road mortality • Found across (except ) and most of the United States White Nose Syndrome has had Protection devastating impacts on Little Brown • Widespread in , Bat populations across • Provincially protected under the and found as far north as Factory Endangered Species Act, 2007 and Favourable Lake • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002

Fewer than 200 American

gregvandeleest/ Essentials Collection/ Getty Images gregvandeleest/ badgers live in Ontario. 2.0 J.N. Stuart CC BY-NC-ND

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 2 3 Cougar (Mountain Lion) (Puma concolor) Northern Long-eared Bat Endangered Provincially (Myotis septentrionalis) Endangered Provincially and Nationally Description Range • Canada’s largest and most powerful wild cat • In Ontario, believed to live mostly Description Protection • Short brown, greyish or reddish fur with in the north but also reported in • Dull yellow-brown fur with pale grey belly, • Provincially protected under the white belly and chest southern Ontario long rounded ears Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Can reach up to two metres in length and • Weighs between six and nine grams; • Federally protected under the weigh over 60 kilograms Threats about eight centimetres long; wingspan Species at Risk Act, 2002 of 25 centimetres • Has a long, black-tipped tail, and black • Habitat loss markings on muzzle and ears • Similar to the little brown bat, except • Human disturbance fleshy portion covering ears is pointed • Lives in large, undisturbed forests or other natural areas with little • Hibernates from October to March, human activity Protection mostly in caves or abandoned mines • Provincially protected under the Early settlers hunted and trapped cougars Endangered Species Act, 2007 extensively and by the late 1800s cougars Range were believed to be extirpated from much of their eastern range in Canada. • Found as far north as , and the north shore of

Threats • Fungal disease called white nose syndrome • Wind turbines • Habitat loss

Approximately 40 percent of the northern long-eared bat’s global Art G. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Art G. CC BY-NC-ND Sybill Amelon (USFS) CC BY 2.0 range is in Canada.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 4 5 Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Loggerhead Shrike migrans subspecies Endangered Provincially (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) Endangered Provincially and Nationally Description Threats • One of the largest and most powerful • Habitat disturbance Description Range birds of prey, weighing as much as • Human persecution • Robin-sized bird with black bill • Though concentrated in southern Ontario, 5.9 kilograms, with wingspan over hooked at tip occasionally found within its former broad two metres • Electrocution on power lines • Medium-grey crown and back; white range in • Collisions with wind turbines • Golden-brown feathers on back of neck, throat and breast; racoon-like black face head and upper wings; rest of body is • Chemicals and toxins in prey mask; black tail with white outer feathers; Threats dark brown black wings with bold white patch that • Nests in remote, undisturbed ledges of flashes when in flight • Habitat loss and succession Protection cliffs and large trees • Prefers pastures and other grasslands • Toxins in prey • Provincially protected under the with scattered low trees and shrubs • Road mortality Endangered Species Act, 2007 Range • Builds nests in small trees and hunts near spiny, multi-branched shrubs or barbed • Widespread distribution in North America Protection wire fencing to impale prey before eating • Recent reports indicate only six pairs • Provincially protected under the nest in northern Ontario (Hudson Endangered Species Act, 2007 Bay Lowlands) • Federally protected under the • Difficult to monitor population as nesting Loggerhead shrike populations Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 sites are remote have declined since the 1970s in Ontario and beyond.

Currently there are believed to be

only 10 to 20 pairs in the province. H. Tuller Laurie L Snidow/Shutterstock

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 6 7 Piping Plover circumcinctus subspecies Red Knot rufa subspecies (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) (Calidris canutus rufa) Endangered Provincially and Nationally Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Description Range Description Threats • Small shorebird with stubby orange bill • Breeds along shores of the Great Lakes • Plump, medium-sized shorebird named • Food loss at migration sites with black tip; black breast band and and in area for its brick-red face, throat and breast (decline of horseshoe crab populations head ban; bright orange legs; white belly; in breeding plumage due to unregulated commercial harvesting) back, wings and tail are the colour of pale Threats • Back is speckled grey-brown; straight • Habitat loss and degradation (as a result sand which blends in with beaches black beak of pollution, recreation and development) • Habitat loss and degradation • Nests on dry sandy or gravelly beaches • Prefers open beaches, mudflats, • Climate change just above the reach of water and waves • Human disturbance and coastal lagoons to feed on molluscs, • Eats mostly insects and small crustaceans crustaceans and other invertebrates • Storm surges and severe weather Protection • Provincially protected under Range Protection Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Found on coastal mudflats along the Over the past 50 years, piping plovers • Provincially protected under the • Federally protected under the vanished from almost all known nest southwest coast of and Endangered Species Act, 2007 Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the sites on the Great Lakes, but protection during migration efforts have helped repopulate some • Federally protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 former breeding sites in Ontario. Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 The rufa subspecies of red knot has shown a 70 percent decline in population in the past 15 years. Dan Irizarry CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Dan Irizarry CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Cláudio Dias Timm CC BY-NC-ND

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 8 9 Western Silvery Aster (Ophiogomphus howei) Pygmy Snaketail (Symphyotrichum sericeum) Endangered Provincially, Special Concern Nationally Endangered Provincially and Threatened Nationally Description Threats Description Threats • Small dark brown and black dragonfly, • Habitat loss and degradation (dams and with yellow markings on abdomen and water pollution) • Perennial wildflower most noticeable in • Habitat loss bright green markings on thorax the fall when it flowers • Pesticides and herbicides • Human disturbance • Larva found in large, fast flowing rivers • Can grow up to 70 centimetres, with with substrates of sand and gravel leaves that are covered in fine hairs giving Protection silvery appearance; pink or pale purple Protection • Rarely-seen adult live in forest canopy flowers that become redder as it ages • Provincially protected under adjacent to the river where it lived as larva • Provincially protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Inhabits open bur oak savannahs on Endangered Species Act, 2007 shallow soils over bedrock, with other • Federally protected under Range prairie species Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Western population occurs in , Minnesota, and northwestern Ontario; Range eastern population ranging along the Appalachian Mountains • Found in Lake of the Woods Western silvery aster is Ontario’s The only known record of the pygmy rarest aster. • One record of larval skin collected in snaketail was from the Namakan River in the Rainy River in 2007. northwestern Ontario in 2007 Denis Doucet 2.0 peganum CC BY-SA

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 10 11 THREATENED

Threatened species live in the wild in Ontario, are not endangered, but are likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening them. Generally, these species and their habitats are protected under Ontario’s Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Endangered Species Act, 2007. Threatened Provincially, Special Concern Nationally

Description Threats Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) • Largest terrestrial carnivore in the world • Habitat loss • Has water-repellent, translucent hair that • Climate change Threatened Provincially and Nationally appears white, allowing it to blend in with • Over-hunting Description Threats its snowy surroundings; large forepaws make it a strong swimmer • Pollution • Weigh up to 4.2 kilograms, and are • Harsh winters approximately one metre long including • Habitat loss Protection the tail, which averages 37 centimetres Range • Disease • Grey fur with light cinnamon coloured • Canada is home to two-thirds of the • Provincially protected under the patches on its body; black tail tip world’s polar bears Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Shorter legs and smaller snout than Protection • In Ontario, found along Hudson Bay and James Bay Ontario is home to the world’s southern- red fox • Provincially protected under the most population of polar bears. Endangered Species Act, 2007 Range • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Rainy River District into southeastern Fewer than 250 mature grey foxes are • Southwestern Ontario (Windsor) to estimated to exist in Canada. southwestern Quebec (Sherbrooke) John McClure CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 CC BY-NC-SA John McClure Silense/Shutterstock

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 12 13 Wolverine (Gulo gulo) Woodland Caribou Boreal Population Threatened Provincially, Special Concern Nationally (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Description Range • Largest member of weasel family with • Northern and North America Description Threats large head and large paws with semi- • In Ontario, eastern population of • Medium-sized member of deer family • Habitat loss, degradation and retractable claws wolverine inhabits primarily northwest with thick coat for warmth and large fragmentation rounded hooves for digging for food • Dark brown fur with pale golden- boreal forest and coastal tundra • Predation and disease brown stripes along the sides of and walking easily on snow body; dark brown face • Climate change Threats • Excellent swimmer with hollow hair • Unique markings on chest have been for buoyancy • Habitat loss and fragmentation used to identify individuals • Female caribou, which also have Protection • Mainly scavenges on moose, caribou, antlers, only birth one calf per year • Provincially protected under the beavers, snowshoe hares, squirrels, Protection Endangered Species Act, 2007 voles and sometimes berries • Provincially protected under the Range • Federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 Species at Risk Act, 2002 The population recovery of wolverine • Boreal forest across North America is slowed by their low reproductive rate – only about half of the females • Two populations in Ontario (the forest- give birth to young in any year. dwelling woodland caribou and the The woodland caribou has forest-tundra woodland caribou) disappeared from about 50 percent of its historic range in Ontario. Anna Yu/Signature Collection/Getty Images Anna Yu/Signature Ontario Nature

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 14 15 American White Pelican Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Threatened Provincially, Not Listed Nationally Description Threats Description Threats • Small songbird with brown upperparts, • Habitat loss white underparts and distinctive dark • Very large bird weighing about • Water level changes • Pesticides six kilograms with wingspan up to breast band • Habitat degradation • Climate change three metres; white feathers and black • Up to 12 centimetres long, wing tips; large orange-yellow bill and • Human disturbance weighing 10 to 18 grams • Vehicle collisions pouch; a stout tail; webbed feet • Disease • Eats insects, primarily when flying • Juvenile birds have greyish feathers Protection • Nests in colonies on isolated islands Protection Range • Provincially protected under the in freshwater lakes Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Provincially protected under the • Found throughout southern Ontario with • Forages in shallow waters up to Endangered Species Act, 2007 sparse populations scattered across • Federally protected under the 50 kilometres away from nest northern Ontario Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

Range Canada’s bank swallow population declined by an estimated 98 percent • Migrates south to the Gulf Coast states between 1970 and 2011. and Mexico Ontario has about 10 percent of the world’s population of American • In Canada, found from interior British white pelicans. Columbia, east to northwestern Ontario bookguy/ Essentials Collection/ Getty Images 2.0 Jose Sousa CC BY-NC-ND

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 16 17 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Threatened Provincially and Nationally

Description Threats Description Protection • Medium-sized songbird with glossy steel- • Habitat loss • Medium-sized songbird inhabiting • Provincially protected under the blue back and upper wings, rusty-red grasslands, pastures and hayfields Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Pesticides (resulting in reduced forehead and throat, and short bill populations of insect prey) • In summer, male is black with a white • Federally protected under the • Long tail feathers form distinctive, back and yellow collar; female is tan Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

deep fork Protection colour with black stripes • Builds cup-shaped mud nests on human- • Named for its bubbling musical song • Provincially protected under the made structures that are re-used from Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Builds small nest on the ground in dense year to year grasses; both parents tend young, • Federally protected under the • Eats insects sometimes with the help of a third bird Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

Range Range • Found throughout southern Ontario The number of barn swallows in • Breeds across North America Ontario decreased by an estimated and as far north as Hudson Bay, 65 percent between 1966 and 2009. • Widely distributed throughout most where suitable locations for nests exist of Ontario south of the boreal forest, where suitable habitat exists

Threats • Habitat loss and degradation • Incidental mortality (mowing of hay during the breeding season) • Pesticides • Persecution on wintering grounds

Over the last 10 years, the bobolink’s population in Brian Repa CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Brian Repa CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Dave Inman CC BY-NC-SA Ontario decreased by 33 percent.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 18 19 Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Threatened Provincially and Nationally

Description Range Description Range • Small, sooty brown bird, • Widely distributed in southern Ontario, • Medium-sized migratory songbird with • In Ontario, primarily found south of the 12 to 14 centimetres long with long with confirmed breeding populations in bright yellow throat and belly, black “V” but also inhabits Lake slender wings and light-coloured throat near Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury and the on breast and white flanks with black Nipissing and Lake of the Woods areas • Distinguished by acrobatic and erratic District streaks; brown back with black streaks; flight pattern light brown and black striped head; pinkish legs Threats • Catches its prey (insects) in flight Threats • Breeds in moderately tall grasslands, • Habitat loss and degradation • Mostly found in urban areas where it • Decline in insect prey population alfalfa fields, weedy borders of croplands, • Pesticides nests in chimneys and other human- • Habitat loss (suitable chimneys that allow roadsides, orchards, airports and other made structures swifts to enter) open areas Protection • Population in Ontario decreased by almost 65 percent during the past • Provincially protected under the Protection 40 years Endangered Species Act, 2007 Canada’s chimney swift population • Provincially protected under the • Federally protected under the has declined by 96 percent since 1968 Endangered Species Act, 2007 and decreases in Ontario over the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 past decade are close to 20 percent • Federally protected under the of the population each year. Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

The eastern meadowlark’s population

Zak Polen CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Zak Polen CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Laura Parshall CC BY-NC-SA in Ontario decreased by almost 65 percent during the past 40 years.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 20 21 Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) Eastern Whip-poor-will Threatened Provincially and Nationally (Antrostomus vociferus) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Description Range • Smallest member of the heron family; • Found mostly south of the Description Threats brown and beige plumage with large Canadian Shield • Medium-sized bird with mottled • Habitat loss and degradation chestnut patches on wings • Small numbers breed occasionally brown and grey feathers that blend • Pesticides • Crown and back of males are black in northwestern Ontario into its surroundings but are lighter in females and juveniles • Climate change • Mostly heard rather than seen • Throat is light tan with whitish Threats • Name derived from its call, which sounds streaks; white belly; legs and beak like “whip-poor-will” Protection are bright yellow • Habitat loss and degradation (wetlands) • Provincially protected under • Pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic • Inhabits mix of open and forested areas, Endangered Species Act, 2007 substances open wetlands or openings in mature, deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests • Federally protected under the • Invasive plants Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the • Human disturbance (motorboats) Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 Range • Climate change and changing • In Ontario, breeds as far north as the The whip-poor-will experienced water levels a population loss of 75 percent in shore of Lake Superior Canada between 1968 and 2007.

Protection • Provincially protected under Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

The least bittern experienced a decline of about 30 percent in Laura Gooch CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Laura Gooch CC BY-NC-SA passion4nature/ Essentials Collection/Getty Images passion4nature/ Ontario between 1999 and 2009.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 22 23 Blanding’s Turtle Great Lakes – Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) St. Lawrence Population (Emydoidea blandingii) Threatened (Great Lake – Upper St. Lawrence River and northwestern Ontario Threatened Provincially and Nationally populations) and Special Concern (Southern Hudson Bay/James Bay populations) Provincially, Threatened (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence) Nationally Description Threats Description Threats • Medium-sized turtle that can reach • Habitat loss 27 centimetres • Canada’s largest freshwater fish, • Habitat loss, degradation and • Vehicle collisions weighing up to 181 kilograms and fragmentation • Bright yellow throat, chin and belly; • Illegal collection for pet trade reaching over two metres in length long rounded black and brown shell with • Overfishing • Can live more than 100 years yellow flecks and streaks; head and • Pollution limbs are black-grey Protection • Ancestral ties to species dating back • Non-native species 200 million years • Can survive in the wild for more than • Provincially protected under the 75 years Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Body covered with large bony plates; has cartilage instead of bones Protection • Federally protected under the Range Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Dark to light brown or grey on back • Threatened population and sides with lighter underside; provincially protected under the • In Canada, separated into Great Lakes – extended snout with four whisker-like Endangered Species Act, 2007 St. Lawrence population and organs hanging near the mouth for Nova Scotia population About 20 percent of the global range bottom feeding • Can be found throughout southern, of the Blanding’s turtle is in Canada, mainly in Ontario. • Spawns in relatively shallow, fast-flowing central and and as far water with gravel and boulders at the north as Sudbury bottom and will spawn in deeper water where habitat is available

Range • In Ontario, rivers of the Hudson Bay basin, the and their major connecting waterways, including the St. Lawrence River

Overfishing, habitat loss and declining water quality caused abadonian/Essentials Collection/ Getty Images

Tracy Parker Tracy dramatic declines of lake sturgeon following European settlement.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 24 25 Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus zenithicus) Pitcher’s Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) Threatened Provincially and Nationally Threatened Provincially, Endangered Nationally

Description Range Description Range • Member of whitefish family; up to • Widely distributed throughout • Slender stem and leaves covered in fine, • Globally vulnerable endemic thistle of 35 centimetres long, weighing up whitish fuzz; up to one metre tall; greyish- the Great Lakes to one kilogram green leaves deeply divided into narrow, • In Ontario, found in Lake Superior, • In Canada, found only in Ontario, spine-tipped segments • Olive-tan to greenish back; silvery sides; Lake and some smaller inland lakes restricted to about 30 sites with core purple sheen; white belly • May grow for years before flowering when range on • Extirpated from lakes Michigan, it produces between two to 125 flowering • Large eyes; small head; very small mouth Erie and Huron heads; made up of many small pinkish or with no teeth and small lower jaw creamy-white flowers Threats • Feeds on zooplankton, aquatic insects and Threats • Seeds have downy white “parachutes” • Habitat loss and degradation crustaceans, such as freshwater shrimp • Overharvesting and can be dispersed by the wind • Human disturbance (recreational vehicles) • Invasive species • Invasive plants

The shortjaw cisco has been Protection Protection extirpated from lakes Michigan, Erie and Huron. • Provincially protected under the • Provincially protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002

Some 15 percent of the global population of Pitcher’s thistle is Noah Cole © John Lyons, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources © John Lyons, located in Ontario.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 26 27 Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) Small-flowered Lipocarpha Threatened (Boreal Population), Endangered (Great Lakes Plains Population) (Lipocarpha micrantha) Provincially and Nationally Threatened Provincially, Endangered Nationally

Description Range Description Threats • Large perennial that grows up to • In northwestern Ontario, a single • Tiny annual sedge that grows in • Habitat loss and degradation two metres in height population of about 1,000 plants dense clumps • Pollution • Large, toothed, egg-shaped lower • Curved stems with narrow leaves; • Erosion leaves and smaller more smooth- Threats small flowers tightly clustered in dense edged upper leaves oval spikes near top of stem; tiny seeds • Human disturbance (recreational vehicles) • Habitat loss • Numerous upright, unbranched stems are brown with bluish highlights • Invasive plants rising from central clump; small yellow • Human disturbance (pedestrian and flowers form cylindrical clusters along recreational vehicle traffic) Range upper 30 centimetres of stem • Invasive species Protection • Found in the Lake of the Woods • Provincially protected under the and Rainy Lake areas Endangered Species Act, 2007 Protection • Federally protected under the Small-flowered lipocarpha surveys tallied • Provincially protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 Endangered Species Act, 2007 approximately 1,800 on Sable Island in Lake of the Woods and about 75 at • Federally protected under the Pound Bay on Rainy Lake. Species at Risk Act, 2002

In Canada, the boreal population of showy goldenrod is known to occur Tab Tannery CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 CC BY-NC-SA Tannery Tab

Janetandphil CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Janetandphil CC BY-NC-ND at one site only – on Dufresne Island, near .

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 28 29 Special Concern

Species of special concern live in the wild in Ontario, are not endangered or threatened, but may become so due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. These species and their habitats do not receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 Eastern Wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) or under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Description Protection Beluga Western Hudson Bay Population • Smaller than gray wolf; fawn-coloured • No hunting and trapping in Algonquin (Delphinapterus leucas) with long black guard hairs on the back and 10 surrounding townships and sides; back of ears reddish Special Concern Provincially and Nationally • Protected in Lake Superior Provincial • Lives in packs of three to six adults, with Park, Chapleau Crown Game Preserve home range as big as 50,000 hectares and Nipissing Crown Game Preserve Description Protection • Preys mostly on deer and moose • Not protected under the • Small, toothed whale, up to four metres • Not protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 or in length and weighing about a tonne Endangered Species Act, 2007 or • Population in Canada estimated at 2,000, about half in Ontario under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Pronounced “melon-head”; dorsal ridge under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 rather than a true fin Range • White skin as adult (soft grey when young) • Found mainly in the Great Lakes and The beluga population along the • Very social animal that produces Ontario coastline of Hudson Bay is St. Lawrence of Quebec and Ontario a wide range of complex sounds estimated at more than 7,000. to communicate Threats • Hunting and trapping Range • Habitat loss and fragmentation • In summer, congregates in river estuaries • Road mortality and shallow bays to moult and calve • They live in the open ocean in fall and winter • Usually winters in seas off Baffin Island, mingling with other populations

Threats • Overhunting • Increased freight shipping in Hudson Bay • Potential disturbance from hydroelectric development on coastal rivers of Hudson Bay Lowlands

The current range of the eastern wolf represents only about 42 percent of its Holly Kuchera/ Essentials Collection/ Getty Images alazor/ Essentials Collection/ Getty Images historic range in Canada.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 30 31 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) Special Concern in Ontario, Not Listed Nationally Special Concern Provincially, Not Listed Nationally

Description Range Description Threats • Bright white head, neck and tail and • Widely distributed throughout North America • Small, boldly marked tern with black • Habitat loss (wetlands) dark brown body; beak and talons bright head and underparts; forked tail; • Nests throughout Ontario, with the highest • Water pollution yellow; wingspan just over two metres density in the northwest straight pointed bill; slender shape; • Human disturbance at nesting colonies • Young are mostly brown with variable long, narrow wings • Historically common in southern Ontario (especially boat traffic) speckles of white; it takes four years to along shore of Lake Erie • Eats insects attain the distinctive adult plumage • Invasive species • Rebounded after banning of DDT, an • Builds floating nests in loose colonies in • Both parents share duty of incubating • Climate change intensive re-introduction program and shallow marshes, especially in cattails eggs and looking after young environmental clean-up efforts • Feeds mainly on fish but also known to Range Protection catch birds and small mammals, scavenge for carrion, and take food from other birds Threats • Breeds in temperate regions of • Federally protected under the and North America, and in Canada from Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 • Nests on huge stick platforms located • Habitat loss British Columbia to New Brunswick • Not protected under the near water and situated high in trees • Pollution • Scattered throughout Ontario, breeding Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Illegal shooting mainly in marshes along the Great Lakes. • Accidental trapping There are also confirmed breeding sites The black tern has experienced a scattered throughout northern Ontario, continuous decline across its global range • Electrocution since the 1950s, with a 61 percent decline as far north as Dryden between 1966 and 1996 in North America.

Protection • Not protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007

In 2013, 1,082 overwintering bald eagles were reported on Christmas Ingrid Taylar CC BY 2.0 Ingrid Taylar Missy Mandel Bird Counts in Ontario, the highest total number ever.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 32 33 Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) Special Concern Provincially, Threatened Nationally Special Concern Provincially, Threatened Nationally

Description Range Description Range • Small, brightly-coloured songbird; male • Approximately 80 percent of the species’ • Medium-sized bird, active at night or • In Canada, found in all provinces and is more brightly coloured than female, global breeding range is located in at twilight territories except Nunavut with bluish-grey back and tail and bright Canada where it breeds in all provinces • Well camouflaged; long wings with wide • Occurs throughout Ontario except yellow underparts; black forehead; and territories except Nunavut and white stripe that can be seen when flying; for coastal regions of James Bay and distinctive black necklace across chest Newfoundland and short legs; short bill and wide mouth to Hudson Bay • Male sings distinctive song of clear, • Breeds in the boreal shield; catch insects on the wing liquid notes ending emphatically in Ontario it is most abundant along • Lays eggs on bare ground Threats • Breeds in range of deciduous and the southern shield • Inhabits wide variety of habitats with coniferous forest types with well- • Insecticides (loss of insect prey) open or semi-open areas (farmland, open developed, dense shrub layer Threats woodlands, rock outcrops, peat bogs, • Habitat degradation • Usually nests on or near ground on • Habitat loss prairies, gravel pits and urban rooftops) • Proliferation of nest predators mossy logs or roots along stream banks (domestic cats, skunks, raccoons, crows) or on hummocks Protection Protection Between 1997 and 2007, the Canada • Federally protected under the warbler declined by 43 percent Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the • Federally protected under the in Canada. Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

From 1995 to 2005, the Breeding Bird Survey showed a 50 percent SteveByland/ Essentials Collection/ Getty Images

PaulReevesPhotography / Essentials Collection/ Getty Images population decline of common nighthawk in Canada.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 34 35 Eastern Wood-pewee Golden-winged Warbler (Contopus virens) (Vermivora chrysoptera) Special Concern Nationally Special Concern Provincially, Threatened Nationally

Description Protection Description Threats • Small forest bird, up to 15 centimetres long • Federally protected under the • Small grey songbird with white • Habitat loss Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 undersides, and distinctive yellow wing • Greyish-olive upper parts; pale on under • Hybridization with blue-winged warbler parts; pale wing bars • Not protected under the patches and forehead; male has black throat and black patch behind its eyes; • Nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbird • Distinctive three-part song: “pee-ah-wee” Endangered Species Act, 2007 or under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 female has same markings in grey • Eats insects • Builds nest on the ground, where female Protection lays two to six eggs • Federally protected under the Range • Eats insects Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the • In Canada, ranges from Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 to Nova Scotia Range • Mostly found in southern and central • Found in southern Saskatchewan, Ontario, and as far north as Red Lake, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, as well and as north-eastern United States • Breeds in central-eastern Ontario, as far Threats south as and St. Lawrence River, and as far north as the northern • Habitat loss and degradation edge of ; also found in • Decline in insect prey Lake of the Woods area

From 1970 to 2011, the Breeding Bird Survey showed a decline of over The golden-winged warbler, one of the 70 percent for eastern wood-pewee fastest declining passerine species in Mark Peck in Canada, with a 25 percent decline Glenn Bartley North America, experienced a decline of between 2001 and 2011. 79 percent in Canada from 1996 to 2006.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 36 37 Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) Olive-sided Flycatcher Special Concern Provincially and Nationally (Contopus cooperi) Special Concern Provincially, Threatened Nationally Description Threats • Small duck-like waterbird with a short, • Habitat loss (wetlands) Description Protection pointed bill; black head with distinctive • Pollution (agricultural runoff, oil spills) • Medium-sized songbird with deep • Federally protected under the patch of golden yellow feathers behind brownish olive-grey feathers along Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the • Disease its eye called “horns”; front of neck and sides and back Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 upper breast are reddish • Perches conspicuously at top of tall trees • Not protected under the • Males and females look similar, Protection Endangered Species Act, 2007 although breeding males are typically • Has a loud, three note whistle that brighter than females • Federally protected under the sounds like “quick, three beers” Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 • Nests near small ponds, marshes and shallow bays • Not protected under the Range Endangered Species Act, 2007 or under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Breeds in every province and territory Range except Nunavut • Found across Eurasia and in • In Ontario, widely distributed throughout North America the central and northern areas • In Canada, breeds mainly in all of the prairies, but also in British Columbia, Threats Long-term trends (1970 to 2011) the territories, northwestern Ontario for horned grebe demonstrate a • Habitat loss and degradation and the Magdalen Islands significant decline in Canada. • Decline in insect prey • Rare breeder in Ontario

The olive-sided flycatcher has experienced a widespread and Fred Hochstaeder Fred PaulReevesPhotography/ Essentials Collection/Getty Images constant decline since 1960, with a 79 percent loss from 1968 to 2006.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 38 39 Peregrine Falcon Red-necked Phalarope (Falco peregrinus anatum/tundrius) (Phalarope lobatus) Special Concern Provincially and Nationally Special Concern Nationally

Description Range Description Range • Dives at speeds of up to 300 kilometres • Species widely distributed in every • Up to 18 centimetres long, weighing • Across Canada, all provinces per hour, literally knocking its prey (birds) except Antarctica up to 48 grams with wingspan of and territories out of the air 31 to 34 centimetres • Historic North American distribution of • In Ontario, found in tundra ranges • Distinctive black facial mask that the eastern subspecies is east of the • Lobed toes; straight, fine bill adjacent to Hudson Bay and James Bay resembles a helmet; black “moustache;” Rocky Mountains and south of the • Females are mostly dark grey with tree line • Bright yellow legs and feet; slate blue- a chestnut neck and upper breast, Threats grey back; whitish underparts with fine, • Large breeding population in the black face with a white throat • Habitat loss dark barring on thighs and lower breast Lake Superior watershed in • Males have duller colouring than females northwestern Ontario • Pollution • Usually nests on tall, steep cliff ledges • Has a distinctive white wing stripe which adjacent to large water bodies, but some helps distinguish this species from others adapt to city life and raise young on Threats Protection ledges of tall buildings • Habitat loss The red-necked phalarope has declined • Not protected under the Species at Risk over the last 40 years in an important Act, 2002 • Pesticides staging area, though overall population • Harvest for falconry (especially in Mexico) trends are unknown. • Persecution by humans

Protection • Federally protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 • Not protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 or under the Species at Risk Act, 2002

Extirpated from Ontario in the 1960s, the peregrine falcon has increased Mark Peck CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Mark Peck CC BY-NC-SA ca2hill/Essentials Collection/Getty Images steadily in numbers since the ban of DDT and reintroduction efforts.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 40 41 Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Special Concern Nationally Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Description Range Description Threats • Medium-sized bird with pale yellow eyes; • Found in all provinces and territories, • Medium-sized owl with large round head; • Habitat loss and alteration slightly curved black bill which represents 70 percent of small tufts of feathers that look like ears; (wetlands and grasslands) North American breeding range fairly long wings; short tail • During breeding season, male’s plumage • Decrease in prey abundance turns black with green iridescence on • Breeds across northern Ontario • Well camouflaged: brown back and • Collisions with vehicles, utility lines body and violet iridescence on neck and creamy-buff chest with brown streaks and fences head; female’s plumage is greyish brown • Mostly seen in flight during dawn with no iridescence Threats and dusk • In autumn, plumage of both sexes turns • Loss of habitat and degradation Protection • Lives in open areas such as grasslands, rusty hue, hence the name • Bird control programs for agriculture marshes and tundra where it hunts for • Not protected under the in the United States small mammals Endangered Species Act, 2007 or under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 The total population of rusty blackbird has declined by an Protection Range estimated 85 percent since the 1960s. • Not protected under the Species at Risk • Breeds in all Canadian provinces Act, 2002 and territories • In northern Ontario, scattered distributions along the James Bay and Hudson Bay coastlines and • Most northern populations are migratory, moving southward in winter

The short-eared owl population has Terry Alexander/Shutterstock Terry Syd Phillips CC BY-NC 2.0 Syd Phillips CC BY-NC declined by 23 percent in the last decade.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 42 43 Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) Special Concern Provincially, Threatened Nationally Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Description Protection Description Threats • Medium-sized song bird that can be • Federally protected under the • Small quail-like marsh bird with short bill • Habitat loss and degradation (wetlands) and tail 20 centimetres long Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 • Invasive plants • Chest and face are buff-yellow; • Rusty-brown upper parts and white • Not protected under the • Incidental mortality (agricultural dark crown and dark stripe through its underparts with large black sports on Endangered Species Act, 2007 or operations) the breast and sides under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 eyes; distinctive yellow and black streaks on back; white wing patch visible in flight • Collisions with infrastructure • Eats insects and plant materials • Seldom seen, as it lives deep in the reeds • Overgrazing by snow geese in • Found in large mature deciduous and and marshes of shallow wetlands the Hudson Bay Lowlands mixed forests Long-term trends (1970 and 2011) show a decline of 83 percent, with a decline • Male makes distinct clicking sound during of 38 percent between 2001 and 2011. breeding season that resembles two Protection Range pebbles being banged together • Federally protected under the • Found all across southern Ontario and Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 scattered through northern Ontario Range • Not protected under the • There is a small population near Lake • Ranges across much of central Canada Endangered Species Act, 2007 or of the Woods in northwestern Ontario and parts of the northern United States under the Species at Risk Act, 2002

• In Ontario, found in Hudson Bay There is evidence of local declines Threats Lowlands and some localized of yellow rail in several parts of its breeding range. • Loss of habitat marshes in southern Ontario • Parasites © Dave Quady Billtacular CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Billtacular CC BY-NC-ND

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 44 45 Eastern Milksnake Northern Map Turtle (Lampropeltis triangulum) (Graptemys geographica) Special Concern Provincially and Nationally Special Concern Provincially

Description Threats Description Threats • Can be over one metre in length • Human persecution • Yellow, tan or orange lines on upper shell • Habitat loss and degradation or carapace resemble contour lines on a • Distinctive blotches that are red with • Habitat loss • Pollution black borders on dorsal; black and white map and are surrounded by dark borders • Invasive species (zebra mussels) checkerboard pattern on bellies • Rest of the carapace olive green or Protection • Road mortality • Not venomous greyish brown • Not protected under the • Lower shell or plastron light yellow to • Boat propeller strikes Endangered Species Act, 2007 or cream colour; yellow spot behind the • Wildlife trade Range under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 eyes; both legs have intricate pattern of • Widespread throughout southern Ontario bright yellow lines Although still relatively widespread in Protection • Can be found as far north as Lake Ontario, the milksnake’s late maturation • Female eats molluscs; male and young Nipissing and Sault Ste. Marie and low reproductive potential make it eat mainly insects and crayfish • Not protected under the vulnerable to a variety of threats. • Inhabits rivers and lakeshores where it Endangered Species Act, 2007 basks on exposed rocks and fallen trees

Range • Found as far north as Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing Districts • Live primarily in large lakes and rivers with most observations from the shores of Georgian Bay, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the many lakes in Frontenac , and along larger rivers including the St. Lawrence, Thames, Grand and

Sizes and trends of northern map turtle populations are poorly understood. The species late maturation makes it Joe Crowley Missy Mandel vulnerable to a chronic increase in adult mortality rates.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 46 47 Snapping Turtle Deepwater Sculpin (Chelydra serpentina) Great Lakes – Western St. Lawrence Populations Special Concern Provincially and Nationally (Myoxocephalus thompsonii)

Description Threats Special Concern Nationally • Canada’s largest freshwater turtle, • Habitat loss and degradation (including Description Threats reaching 20-26 centimetres and weighing wetland loss, dredging, road grading, • Flat, long body, four to 10 centimetres • Habitat loss and degradation almost 15 kilograms water drawdowns) long; lacks true scales • Declining water quality (eutrophication) • Can live well over 100 years • Road mortality • Has separated dorsal fins and large • Aquatic invasive species • Large black, olive or brown shells typically • Persecution pectoral fins with three bands covered in algae • Hunting • Eyes located at top of head; large mouth • Tail can be longer than body, with Protection • Wildlife trade with small teeth triangular crests along its length • Not protected under the Species at Risk • Pollution • Dark grey to brown in colour with dark • Prefers slow-moving, shallow waters marking along its back; light speckles on Act, 2002 • Nest predation its sides and a pale belly • Boat propeller strikes Range Range • In Canada, found from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia Protection • Patchy distribution in Canada, • Though primarily limited to the southern • Not protected under the limited to cold, deep water part of Ontario, occurs as far north Endangered Species Act, 2007 or • In Ontario, occurs in lakes Nipigon, as Kenora under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 Ontario, Superior, Fairbank and Huron Deepwater sculpin are widespread in lakes Superior and Huron, although they may be in decline in the latter.

Snapping turtle is legally Justin Londer CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Justin Londer CC BY-NC-SA Benjamin Simeneta/Essentials Collection/ Getty Images hunted in Ontario.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 48 49 Kiyi Upper Great Lakes Population Northern Brook Lamprey (Coregonus kiyi kiyi) (Ichthyomyzon fossor) Special Concern Provincially and Nationally Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Description Threats Description Threats • Silvery sides with pink or purple • Overfishing • Small (up to 16 centimetres), non- • Pollution (including chemical control of iridescence; dark back; white underside • Introduced species (sea lamprey, alewife, parasitic lamprey that feeds on diatoms sea lamprey) and protozoans • Large eyes; long paired fins; extending rainbow smelt) • Changes in water levels and temperature lower jaw • Habitat degradation (eutrophication) • Dark greyish-brown back and sides; pale grey or silvery white belly; jawless mouth with teeth arranged in a circle; seven Protection Range Protection pairs of gill openings • Not protected under the • Historically found in all the Great Lakes • Not protected under the • Larva burrows in soft mud and spends Endangered Species Act, 2007 or except Lake Erie Endangered Species Act, 2007 or about six years growing under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 • Now occurs only in Lake Superior under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 (extirpated from in 1973 Range and from in 1974)

The Lake Ontario subspecies is considered • In Canada, ranges from Manitoba extinct. The Great Lakes subspecies has been to Quebec extirpated from lakes Huron and Michigan, and it now occurs only in Lake Superior. • In Ontario, inhabits rivers draining into lakes Superior, Huron and Erie, and the

No estimates exist for the Canadian populations of northern brook lamprey. Fish of Isle Royale National Park © Paul Vecsei – © Paul Vecsei Lakes Fishery Great Commission

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 50 51 EXTIRPATED

Extirpated species lived in the wild in Ontario at one time but no longer do so. They still live elsewhere in the wild. Extirpated species and their habitats are protected under Ontario’s Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Endangered Species Act, 2007 if the species are again found in Ontario. Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Description Threats Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) • Large orange and black butterfly with • Habitat loss Extirpated Provincially, Endangered Nationally small white spots • Widespread and increasing use of • Caterpillar black, white and yellow insecticides and herbicides striped; feeds on milkweed plants Description Range • Climate change • Jade-coloured chrysalis with gold spots • Medium-sized, brownish shorebird; upper • May be extinct (no fully substantiated • Severe weather events parts are sooty black to greyish-brown; records since 1963, when a single bird • Migrates to Oyamel fir forest of Mexico underparts cinnamon; primary wing was collected in Barbados) in winter feathers are dark and unbarred; faint stripe Protection • Passed through Ontario on migration above the eye between and South • Not protected under the Range • Long, slender, slightly down-curved bill America along the Hudson Bay and upper Endangered Species Act, 2007 or James Bay coasts • Eastern population is widespread under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 throughout Ontario Threats

Once one of the most numerous birds • Overhunting (primary cause of in Canada, the Eskimo curlew may historic decline) now be extinct. • Habitat loss and fragmentation

Protection • Provincially protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

Since the late 1990s, both the western

and eastern populations of the Jim, the Photographer CC BY 2.0 johndudak / Essentials Collection /Getty Images monarch have declined dramatically.

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 52 53 Greater Prairie-chicken Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) (Tympanuchus cupido) Extirpated Provincially and Nationally Extirpated Provincially and Nationally Description Range Description Range • One of the largest freshwater fish in North • Still found in the Mississippi River • Large brown grouse with light and dark • No longer found in Canada, but still found America and one of the most prehistoric drainage system, from Montana to barring; short rounded tail in United States fishes in Ontario, with records dating Louisiana back 70-75 million years • Male has yellow eye combs • Once ranged from to Ontario, • Once inhabited inshore areas of Great numbering in the millions • Thick, robust filter feeder with a long, Lakes and large tributary rivers • During courtship dance male erects its paddle-like snout, and scale-less skin wings and tail feathers, and produces a • Expanded into northwestern Ontario • Not seen in Canada for the last 70 years • Closely related to sturgeons and sharks loud booming sound from orange air sacs when land was cleared for agriculture in • Last specimen captured in Ontario in 1917 on its neck early 1900s with skeleton that is mostly cartilage rather than bone • Non-migratory bird that requires large • Extirpated from Ontario by 1970s Threats undisturbed areas of grasslands with • Can live up to 30 years, reaching up few trees and shrubs for nesting and to two metres or more in length and • Habitat loss and degradation overwintering Threats 68 kilograms in weight (dams, dredging) • Habitat loss (grasslands) • Lives in slow-moving sections of large • Industrial pollution rivers and lakes; migrates to fast flowing rivers with gravel bottoms to spawn • Overfishing Protection

The greater prairie-chicken is no longer • Provincially protected under the Protection found in Canada but can still be found Endangered Species Act, 2007 in some parts of the United States. • Provincially protected under the • Federally protected under the The last captured specimen in Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007 Species at Risk Act, 2002 was in 1917. • Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002 Lynn Chan CC BY-NC 2.0 Chan CC BY-NC Lynn Tony Morris CC BY-NC 2.0 Morris CC BY-NC Tony

MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES FISH PLANTS INSECTS 54 55 BOREAL CONSERVATION OFFICE | 10 CumberlandMAMMALS Street North | Thunder Bay , ON P7A 4K9 REPTILES Tel: 807-286-1789 | www.ontarionature.org 56