The Provincial Government is announcing a change in status for two species listed under the provincial Endangered Species Act and the additional listing of seven more species.
Based on improved information regarding the Red Crossbill percna subspecies and Mackenzie’s Sweetvetch, the status of both species has been down-listed from Endangered to Threatened.
The island of Newfoundland’s natural Red Pine population and the Bank Swallow have been designated Threatened under the Act, and five species have been designated Vulnerable, including Evening Grosbeak, Red-Necked Phalarope, Mummichog, Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee, and Transverse Lady Beetle.
Seven of the species have been listed based on recommendations from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and two are in response to recommendations from the provincial Species Status Advisory Committee. These assessment bodies incorporate the best available scientific, local, traditional and Indigenous knowledge to assess the national and provincial status of species.
Sixty-five species are listed under the Act, including 28 Endangered, 18 Threatened and 19 Vulnerable.
- “Endangered” means a wildlife species is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
- “Threatened” refers to a wildlife species that is likely to become endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors limiting their survival.
- A designation of “Vulnerable” means a wildlife species has characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
Additional information on the listed species is available in the backgrounder below.
Quote
“Conserving biodiversity continues to be a key priority as we work to ensure the sustainable management our province’s wildlife resources, and I am encouraged by the improvement in status for two of our protected species. By listing these species – which include a diverse group of birds, bees, fish, beetles, plants and trees – we are initiating an important, collaborative process of recovery and management planning to help ensure the future conservation of all wildlife species.”
Honourable Derrick Bragg
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
– 30 –
Learn more
Endangered Species ActSpecies at Risk
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Species Status Advisory Committee
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Media contact
Linda Skinner
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
709-637-2284, 632-8167
lindaskinner@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Down-listed Species
Red Crossbill percna subspecies: Threatened
The Red Crossbill percna subspecies (Loxia curvirostra percna) occurs only in Canada, and is only known to breed on the island of Newfoundland, and Anticosti Island in Quebec. These have experienced steep, long-term population declines that are expected to continue based on threats such as competition and predation from introduced squirrels, and habitat loss including potential losses of Red Pine stands from Sclerroderris canker. An increase to its known range into Anticosti Island and subsequent higher population estimates have led COSEWIC’s recommendation to change the status of Red Crossbill from Endangered to Threatened. As a migratory species, Red Crossbill is also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act.
Mackenzie’s Sweetvetch: Threatened
Mackenzie’s Sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale subsp. mackenziei) is a small, boreal-Arctic perennial herb in the pea family. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the species is only known in small areas in the Port au Port Peninsula – Cape St. George area. This species was previously listed as Endangered, but recent provincial surveys have revealed a larger population size. Although human activities that cause habitat degradation continue to threaten this plant, these threats are not expected to rapidly affect this entire species, resulting in the provincial assessment and designation as Threatened.
Newly added Species
Red Pine (Natural Populations): Threatened
The genetically distinct native Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) exists primarily in 22 known natural stands on the island of Newfoundland, including the Sandy Lake area, Exploits region, and Bonavista Bay region. The European strain of Scleroderris canker threatens natural populations; management actions to help control the spread of Scleroderris in Newfoundland include establishing quarantine areas, and felling and mulching infected stands. Other threats to Red Pine include squirrels preying on cones, changes to fire regimes, and habitat alterations. Legal protection of native Red Pine will help protect important habitat for the threatened Red Crossbill. The listing does not apply to Red Pine forestry plantations.
Bank Swallow: Threatened
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) is part of a guild of species known as aerial insectivores that have experienced severe population declines throughout North America. Populations have declined by 98 per cent over the last 40 years, and continue to decline due to various threats on their South American overwintering and Canadian breeding grounds. Threats include loss of breeding and foraging habitat, destruction of nests during excavation, collision with vehicles, widespread pesticide use, and climate change impacts. Bank Swallow is a highly social and colonial breeding species that excavates nesting burrows in areas such as river banks, lake and ocean bluffs, and vertical piles of sand and gravel. Breeding sites are often situated near areas such as grasslands, meadows, pastures, and farmland. The Bank Swallow is listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act. As a migratory species, it is also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act.
Evening Grosbeak: Vulnerable
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) is a stocky songbird with bold yellow, black and white colouring and a large, greenish-yellow bill. This species is a familiar visitor to bird feeders in winter and prefers to breed in open, mature mixed-wood forests. This bird is a major predator of the Spruce Budworm and helps with the natural control of this insect pest. Despite the species’ wide distribution across Canada, it has undergone declines of 77 to 90 per cent since 1970, with population increases noted over the past decade. Threats to this species include feeding on road salt and grit along winter roads, a reduction in mature and old-growth mixed-wood and conifer stands, and collisions with windows.
Red-Necked Phalarope: Vulnerable
Red-Necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) is a small, blue-grey and white shorebird, easily recognized by the red-orange color on the sides and base of the neck during breeding. The species breeds across the entire circumpolar sub and low-Arctic, with males undertaking most parental care. During migration and in the winter, Red-Necked Phalaropes concentrate at sea in areas where prey is forced to the surface, which includes sites where pollutants are concentrated. Climate change and associated habitat and food-web effects are likely the greatest threat to Red-necked Phalaropes on breeding grounds. Other threats include industrial activity and pollutants in the Arctic, habitat degradation, ingestion of microplastics, and exposure to oil spills where the birds gather in large numbers on the ocean.
Mummichog: Vulnerable
Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is a small fish that can easily be mistaken for Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanous). Within Canada, the Mummichog (subspecies macrolepidotus) is found in Quebec’s Anticosti Island and Magdalen Islands, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and insular Newfoundland along the southwest coast from Grand Bay West to the Bay of Islands. It normally occurs in shallow, brackish waters of estuaries, salt marshes or tidal streams, and occasionally found in freshwater streams and rivers. This native fish species is vulnerable to threats including by-catch in eel fisheries and possible predation by invasive green crab.
Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee: Vulnerable
Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola) is a medium-sized bee with a distinctive yellow and black abdominal band pattern. Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee is an important pollinator and occurs in a diverse range of habitats including mixed woodlands, farmlands, urban areas, montane meadows, prairie grasslands and boreal habitats. The species usually nests underground in pre-existing cavities and decaying logs. It remains relatively abundant in the north, but since the early 1990s has declined significantly across southern and central Canada, with an average 66.5 per cent reduction in relative abundance. Threats to the Yellow-banded Bumble Bee include diseases, pesticide use, climate change, and habitat loss.
Transverse Lady Beetle: Vulnerable
Transverse Lady Beetle (Coccinella transversoguttata) is a native species that occurs widely across Canada and in a diverse range of habitats. They are easily distinguished from other lady beetle species by a distinctive pattern of a black band and four elongate spots. It was once one of the more common lady beetles in North America, playing an important role in the natural biological control of aphids and other insect pests. The most significant threat to this species is recently arrived, non-native lady beetle species such as the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle and Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, which affect native lady beetles through competition, predation, and introduction of pathogens. Other identified threats include agricultural pesticide.