Priority Species for the Niagara Escarpment

List of priority species for the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area. Please note that forest birds, marsh birds and open country birds are listed separately and that the list is sorted alphabetically within each priority category (level one to four): thus, there is no difference in importance among species within a given category. It should be noted that all species on the list are deemed priority species and that the designation of level one, level two, level three, and level four is a relative ranking within the overall group. Non-VTE species that rely on human structures such as buildings, bridges, etc., should be deemed a priority only when found nesting in natural habitats. These species include: Barn Swallow, Chimney Swift, Cliff Swallow, Common Nighthawk, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe and Purple Martin. Symbols: (++) denotes "endangered" or "threatened" status at the provincial or federal level; (*) denotes "vulnerable" status at the provincial or federal level. Please refer to Table 2 to determine precise designations. At a minimum, municipalities must protect the habitat of endangered and threatened species. Contact OMNR staff for additional advice. Guidance for interpreting and applying the list is available in the main report and in the accompanying technical appendices.

To download this list in Adobe Acrobat format, click here. The Adobe version of the list is formatted as an insert to the main report.

FOREST	MARSH	OPEN COUNTRY

LEVEL ONE	LEVEL ONE	LEVEL ONE

Species Name	Species Name	Species Name
Acadian Flycatcher++	American Bittern	Barn Owl++
Bald Eagle++	American Coot	Brown Thrasher
Black-throated Green Warbler	Black Tern*	Clay-colored Sparrow
Blue-winged Warbler	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Dickcissel
Cerulean Warbler*	King Rail++	Eastern Bluebird
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Least Bittern*	Henslow's Sparrow++
Golden-winged Warbler	Pied-billed Grebe	Loggerhead Shrike++
Hooded Warbler++	Piping Plover++	Northern Bobwhite++
Long-eared Owl	Sedge Wren	Northern Mockingbird
Louisiana Waterthrush*	Short-eared Owl*
Magnolia Warbler	Sora
Nashville Warbler	Virginia Rail
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Prothonotary Warbler++
Red-headed Woodpecker*
Red-shouldered Hawk*
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-breasted Chat*

LEVEL TWO	LEVEL TWO	LEVEL TWO

Species Name	Species Name	Species Name
American Redstart	American Black Duck	American Kestrel
Barred Owl	Blue-winged Teal	Bank Swallow
Black-billed Cuckoo	Common Loon	Bobolink
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Common Snipe	Common Nighthawk
Blackburnian Warbler	Marsh Wren	Eastern Meadowlark
Broad-winged Hawk	Purple Martin	Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Brown Creeper	Swamp Sparrow	Savannah Sparrow
Canada Warbler		Upland Sandpiper
Eastern Towhee		Western Meadowlark
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Mourning Warbler
Northern Goshawk
Northern Waterthrush
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Pileated Woodpecker
Purple Finch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Scarlet Tanager
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Veery
Whip-poor-will
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

LEVEL THREE	LEVEL THREE	LEVEL THREE

Species Name	Species Name	Species Name
Alder Flycatcher	American Wigeon	American Goldfinch
Black-and-white Warbler	Gadwall	Barn Swallow
Cooper's Hawk	Lesser Scaup	Cliff Swallow
Dark-eyed Junco	Osprey	Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe	Ring-necked Duck	Field Sparrow
Evening Grosbeak		Grasshopper Sparrow
Hermit Thrush		Horned Lark
Least Flycatcher		Spotted Sandpiper
Philadelphia Vireo		Vesper Sparrow
Pine Warbler
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruffed Grouse
Solitary Vireo
Swainson's Thrush
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-eyed Vireo
Winter Wren
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-rumped Warbler

LEVEL FOUR	LEVEL FOUR	LEVEL FOUR

Species Name	Species Name	Species Name
American Woodcock	Common Moorhen
Black-capped Chickadee	Common Tern
Common Raven	Green Heron
Gray Catbird	Northern Pintail
Hooded Merganser	Rusty Blackbird
Orchard Oriole	Sandhill Crane
Ovenbird
Red Crossbill
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Tennessee Warbler
Wild Turkey
Wood Duck
Yellow-throated Vireo

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