The List of Wildlife Species at Risk currently has more than 800 entries for Canadian wild life species considered vulnerable; including 363 classified as endangered species, —190 threatened species, —235 special concern, and 22 extirpated (no longer found in the wild).[1] About 65 percent of Canada’s resident species are considered "Secure".[2] More than 30 wildlife species have become extinct in the wild since the arrival of European settlers.[3]
The Government of Canada maintains a list of all plant and animal species, or designatable units (DUs) thereof, federally recognized as special concern, threatened, endangered, extirpated, and extinct in Canada under Schedule I of the Species at Risk Act (SARA).[4]
Species listed on SARA Schedule I receive federal legal protections under the Act, including the protection of individuals, populations, and their habitat from harm. Listing on Schedule I of the act also mandates the formation of a species recovery team and strategy. The addition of species or DUs to Schedule I is done annually by the Minister of the Environment, based on formal assessment recommendations by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists. COSEWIC assessments and IUCN designations by themselves are not to be confused with actual Schedule I listings as both of the former have no formal legal status in Canada.[2]
Mammals of special concern
Endangered birds
- Ammodramus henslowii — Henslow's sparrow
- Athene cunicularia — burrowing owl
- Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus — greater sage-grouse, urophasianus subspecies
- Charadrius melodus circumcinctus — piping plover, circumcinctus subspecies
- Charadrius melodus melodus — piping plover, melodus subspecies
- Charadrius montanus — mountain plover
- Colinus virginianus — northern bobwhite
- Dendroica kirtlandii — Kirtland's warbler
- Empidonax virescens — Acadian flycatcher
- Eremophila alpestris strigata — horned lark, strigata subspecies
- Grus americana — whooping crane
- Icteria virens auricollis (British Columbia population) — yellow-breasted chat, auricollis subspecies
- Lanius ludovicianus migrans — loggerhead shrike, migrans subspecies
- Loxia curvirostra percna — red crossbill, percna subspecies
- Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei — western screech-owl, macfarlanei subspecies
- Numenius borealis — Eskimo curlew
- Oreoscoptes montanus — sage thrasher
- Picoides albolarvatus — white-headed woodpecker
- Pooecetes gramineus affinis — vesper sparrow, affinis subspecies
- Protonotaria citrea — prothonotary warbler
- Rallus elegans — king rail
- Sphyrapicus thyroideus — Williamson's sapsucker
- Sterna dougallii — roseate tern
- Strix occidentalis caurina — spotted owl, caurina subspecies
- Tyto alba (eastern population) — barn owl
Reptiles of special concern
Amphibians of special concern
Arthropods of special concern
Molluscs of special concern
Extirpated vascular plants
Endangered vascular plants
Threatened vascular plants
Vascular plants of special concern
Extirpated mosses
- Ptychomitrium incurvum — incurved grizzled moss
Endangered mosses
- Bartramia stricta — rigid apple moss
- Bryoandersonia illecebra — spoon-leaved moss
- Entosthodon rubiginosus — rusty cord-moss
- Fabronia pusilla — silver hair moss
- Fissidens pauperculus — poor pocket moss
- Scouleria marginata — margined streamside moss
Mosses of special concern
- Bryoerythrophyllum columbianum — Columbian carpet moss
- Entosthodon fascicularis — banded cord-moss
- Fissidens exilis — pygmy pocket moss
- Syntrichia laevipila — twisted oak moss
Endangered lichens
- Erioderma pedicellatum (Atlantic population) — boreal felt lichen
- Heterodermia sitchensis — seaside centipede lichen
Lichens of special concern
- Erioderma pedicellatum (boreal population) — boreal felt lichen
- Nephroma occultum — cryptic paw
- Sclerophora peronella (Nova Scotia population) — frosted glass-whiskers
5. Amtyaz Safi, Hashmi MUA and Smith JP. 2020. A review of distribution, threats, conservation and status of freshwater turtles of Ontario, Canada. Journal of Environmental sciences. 2(1) (2020): 36-41.
