Fauna of Toronto
The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems which allows it to support a large variety of fauna; many of which are situated within the Toronto ravine system. The ravine system including forests, rivers and streams, and wetland ecosystems.[1] A number of other animals have also adapted to the Toronto's urban environment, parks, and the creeks and rivers that run throughout the city.
Toronto was also in the historic ranges of several mammal species, although the city's urban growth led to these species natural range to recede beyond the city limits.
Vertebrates[]
Amphibians and reptiles[]
There are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles that are considered native species within the city limits of Toronto, with most populations concentrated in the wetlands found in the city.[1] Approximately six of these native species were listed under the federal Species at Risk Act.[1] The following amphibian and reptile species (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:
- Chelydridae
- Common snapping turtle[2]
- Colubridae
- Common garter snake[3]
- De Kay's snake[4]
- Milksnake[5]
- Northern redbelly snake[6]
- Northern water snake[7]
- Smooth green snake[8]
- Hylidae
- Grey tree frog[9]
- Spring peeper[10]
- Western chorus frog[11]
- Kinosternidae
- Eastern musk turtle[12]
- Lungless salamander
- Mole salamander
- Spotted salamander[14]
- Pond turtle
- Blanding's turtle[15]
- Midland painted turtle[16]
- Northern map turtle[17]
- Pond slider[18][note 1]
- Spotted turtle[19]
- Wood turtle[20]
- Proteidae
- True frog
- American bullfrog[22]
- Green frog[23]
- Northern leopard frog[24]
- Wood frog[25]
- True salamander
- True toad
- American toad[27]
Birds[]
At least 195 bird species were confirmed to breed in the area, with a total of 410 species of birds recorded in the Greater Toronto Area (either breeding, in migration, or vagrant).[1][28] A number of birds pass through the Toronto while migrating, with the city being situated around where the Atlantic and the Mississippi migratory flyways converge.
The following bird species (sorted by family) have been spotted in the City of Toronto, and Greater Toronto:[28]
- Accipitridae
- Bald eagle
- Five species from the genus Buteo
- Cooper's hawk
- Golden eagle
- Mississippi kite
- Northern goshawk
- Northern harrier
- Sharp-shinned hawk
- Swallow-tailed kite
- Anatidae
- Nine species from the subfamily Anatinae
- Barrow's goldeneye
- Bufflehead
- Canada goose
- Canvasback
- Common eider
- Common goldeneye
- Common merganser
- Lesser scaup
- Long-tailed duck
- Hooded merganser
- Harlequin duck
- Mute swan[note 1]
- Red-breasted merganser
- Redhead
- Ruddy duck
- Trumpeter swan
- Wood duck
- Auks
- Ancient murrelet
- Black guillemot
- Little auk
- Razorbill
- Thick-billed murre
- Barn-owl
- Barn owl
- Calcariidae
- Lapland longspur
- Chestnut-collared longspur
- Snow bunting
- Cardinal
- Blue grosbeak
- Dickcissel
- Indigo bunting
- Lazuli bunting
- Northern cardinal
- Painted bunting
- Rose-breasted grosbeak
- Summer tanager
- Western tanager
- Charadriidae
- American golden-plover
- Black-bellied Plover
- Killdeer
- Semipalmated Plover
- Piping Plover
- Coots
- American coot
- American purple gallinule
- Common gallinule
- King rail
- Sora
- Virginia rail
- Yellow rail
- Cormorant
- Double-crested cormorant
- Great cormorant
- Crane
- Sandhill crane
- Whooping crane
- Crow
- American crow
- Blue jay
- Black-billed magpie
- Common raven
- Canada jay
- Western jackdaw
- Cuckoo
- Black-billed cuckoo
- Yellow-billed cuckoo
- Falcon
- American kestrel
- Merlin
- Gyrfalcon
- Peregrine falcon
- Finch
- Arctic redpoll
- American goldfinch
- Brambling
- Common redpoll
- Evening grosbeak
- House finch
- Lesser goldfinch
- Pine grosbeak
- Pine siskin
- Purple finch
- Red crossbill
- Two-barred crossbill
- Gannet
- Northern gannet
- Gnatcatcher
- Blue-grey gnatcatcher
- Grebe
- Black-necked grebe
- Horned grebe
- Pied-billed grebe
- Red-necked grebe
- Western grebe
- Heron
- American bittern
- Black-crowned night heron
- Cattle egret
- Green heron
- Great blue heron
- Great egret
- Little blue heron
- Snowy egret
- Tricolored heron
- Yellow-crowned night heron
- Hummingbird
- Rufous hummingbird
- Ruby-throated hummingbird
- Ibis
- American white ibis
- Glossy ibis
- White-faced ibis
- Icterid
- Baltimore oriole
- Bobolink
- Brewer's blackbird
- Brown-headed cowbird
- Bullock's oriole
- Common grackle
- Eastern meadowlark
- Orchard oriole
- Red-winged blackbird
- Rusty blackbird
- Western meadowlark
- Yellow-headed blackbird
- Kingfisher
- Belted kingfisher
- Kinglet
- Golden-crowned kinglet
- Ruby-crowned kinglet
- Laridae
- Arctic tern
- Black-headed gull
- Black-legged kittiwake
- Black skimmer
- Black tern
- Bonaparte's gull
- Caspian tern
- Forster's tern
- Franklin's gull
- Ivory gull
- Eleven species from the genus Larus
- Laughing gull
- Little gull
- Sabine's gull
- Lark
- Horned lark
- Loon
- Common loon
- Pacific loon
- Red-throated loon
- Mimid
- Brown thrasher
- Grey catbird
- Northern mockingbird
- Motacillidae
- New World quail
- Northern bobwhite
- New World vulture
- Black vulture
- Turkey vulture
- New World warbler
- 52 species of New World warblers
- Nightjar
- Chuck-will’s-widow
- Common nighthawk
- Eastern whip-poor-will
- Nuthatch
- Red-breasted nuthatch
- White-breasted nuthatch
- Old World flycatcher
- Northern wheatear
- Siberian rubythroat
- Osprey
- Osprey
- Oystercatcher
- Pelican
- American white pelican
- Brown pelican
- Phasianidae
- Pigeons
- Band-tailed pigeon
- Eurasian collared dove[note 1]
- Mourning dove
- Rock dove[note 1]
- White-winged dove
- Procellariidae
- Black-capped petrel
- Great shearwater
- Manx shearwater
- Northern fulmar
- Recurvirostridae
- American avocet
- Black-necked stilt
- Sandpiper
- 34 species of sandpipers
- Shrike
- Loggerhead shrike
- Northern shrike
- Skua
- Long-tailed jaeger
- Pomarine jaeger
- Parasitic jaeger
- Sparrows
- 24 species of sparrows
- Starling
- Common starling[note 1]
- Swallows
- Barn swallow
- Cave swallow
- Northern rough-winged swallow
- Purple martin
- Sand martin
- Tree swallow
- Swift
- Chimney swift
- Thrush
- American robin
- Eastern bluebird
- Fieldfare
- Grey-cheeked thrush
- Hermit thrush
- Northern wheatear
- Siberian rubythroat
- Swainson's thrush
- Townsend's solitaire
- Varied thrush
- Veery
- Wood thrush
- Treecreeper
- True owl
- Barred owl
- Boreal owl
- Burrowing owl
- Eastern screech owl
- Great horned owl
- Long-eared owl
- Northern hawk owl
- Short-eared owl
- Snowy owl
- Tyrant flycatcher
- Ash-throated flycatcher
- Eastern kingbird
- Eastern phoebe
- Eastern wood pewee
- Six species from the genus Empidonax
- Fork-tailed flycatcher
- Great crested flycatcher
- Olive-sided flycatcher
- Scissor-tailed flycatcher
- Sulphur-bellied flycatcher
- Variegated flycatcher
- Vermilion flycatcher
- Western kingbird
- Tit
- Black-capped chickadee
- Boreal chickadee
- Tufted titmouse
- Vireonidae
- Seven species from the genus Vireo.
- Waxwing
- Bohemian waxwing
- Cedar waxwing
- Phainopepla
- Woodpecker
- American three-toed woodpecker
- Black-backed woodpecker
- Downy woodpecker
- Hairy woodpecker
- Northern flicker
- Pileated woodpecker
- Red-bellied woodpecker
- Red-headed woodpecker
- Yellow-bellied sapsucker
- Wren
- Bewick's wren
- Carolina wren
- House wren
- Marsh wren
- Rock wren
- Sedge wren
- Winter wren
Fish[]
This list is incomplete; you can help by . (December 2020) |
There is approximately 100 species of coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater fish found within the waterways of Greater Toronto.[1] The following fish species are found in the creeks, ponds, and rivers that make up the Toronto waterway system, and the Toronto waterfront along Lake Ontario:[30][31]
- Black bullhead
- Black crappie
- Bluegill
- Bluntnose minnow
- Channel catfish
- Chinook salmon
- Green sunfish[note 1]
- Largemouth bass
- Northern hog sucker
- Northern pike
- Pumpkinseed
- Spottail shiner
- Stonecat
- Tadpole madtom
- White bass
- White sucker
- Yellow perch
Mammals[]
There are 38 species of mammals that reside within Toronto, although these numbers have fluctuated due to environmental changes and loss of natural habitats during the past century.[1] The following mammals (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:[note 2][32]
- Canids
- Coyote
- Red fox
- Castoridae
- North American beaver
- Cricetidae
- Deer mouse
- Meadow vole
- Muskrat
- White-footed mouse
- Deer
- White-tailed deer
- Dipodidae
- Hares and rabbits
- Eastern cottontail
- European hare[note 1]
- Snowshoe hare
- Muridae
- Mustelidae
- American mink
- Long-tailed weasel
- North American river otter
- Short-tailed weasel
- New World porcupine
- Canadian porcupine
- Opossum
- Virginia opossum
- Procyonidae
- Raccoon
- Shrew
- American pygmy shrew
- Masked shrew
- Northern short-tailed shrew
- Smoky shrew
- Skunk
- Striped skunk
- Squirrel
- American red squirrel
- Eastern chipmunk
- Eastern grey squirrel (including black squirrels)
- Groundhog
- Northern flying squirrel
- Southern flying squirrel
- Talpidae
- Hairy-tailed mole
- Star-nosed mole
- Vesper bat
- Big brown bat
- Eastern red bat
- Eastern small-footed myotis
- Hoary bat
- Little brown bat
- Silver-haired bat
- Northern long-eared bat
Historic species[]
The historic range for several mammal species once extended into the City of Toronto. However, as the city developed, the natural range for several mammals receded beyond the city limits. At least 11 species of mammals were extirpated from the region.[1] The historic range for the following mammals once included Toronto, but were pushed beyond the city limits prior to 1912:[32]
- Bear
- American black bear
- Canids
- Grey wolf
- Cats
- Bobcat
- Canada lynx
- Cougar
- Cricetidae
- Deer
- Elk
- Moose
- Mustelidae
- American marten
- Fisher
Invertebrates[]
This list is incomplete; you can help by . (September 2018) |
Within the city of Toronto, there exists approximately 110 species of butterflies, although this number is prone to fluctuations as a result of a varied environment from year to year.[1] There is approximately six families of bees in Toronto, which includes 37 genuses and 364 species of bees in Toronto.[1] Past published records estimate that there are 25 genuses and approximately 200 species of spiders in Toronto; 24 of which were introduced to the region.[1] However, it is estimated that the actual number of species that exist in the city is approximately three times larger.[1] The following insects may be found throughout the City of Toronto including:[citation needed]
- Alderfly
- Ants
- Apoidea
- Bees
- Hornet
- Wasp
- Barklice
- Beetles
- Caddisfly
- Common walkingstick
- Dusky cockroach
- Common earwig[note 1]
- Fishflies
- Dark fishfly
- Spring fishfly
- Flies
- Lacewings
- Brown lacewing
- Green lacewing
- Lepidoptera
- Butterflies
- Moth
- Mayfly
- Odonata
- Damselflies
- Dragonflies
- Orthoptera
- Ensifera
- Grasshopper
- Scorpionfly
- Stonefly
- Praying mantis
See also[]
- Fauna of Canada
- List of Toronto parks
- Native trees in Toronto
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Wild, Connected and Diverse: A Biodiversity Strategy for Toronto" (PDF). www.toronto.ca. City of Toronto. September 2019. pp. 22–23.
- ^ "Snapping Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Eastern Gartersnake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "DeKay's Brownsnake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Milksnake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Red-bellied snake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Northern watersnake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Smooth Greensnake". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Gray Treefrog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Spring Peeper". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Western Chorus Frog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Eastern Musk Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Eastern Red-backed Salamander". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Spotted Salamander". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Blanding's Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Midland Painted Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Northern Map Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Michael (24 June 2015). "Turtles face a threat from one of their own: red-eared invaders". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Spotted Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Wood Turtle". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Mudpuppy". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "American Bullfrog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Green Frog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Northern Leopard Frog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Wood Frog". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Red-spotted salmander". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "American Toad". Ontario Nature. 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Checklist of the Birds of the Greater Toronto Area (2011)" (PDF). Birds of Toronto: A guide to their remarkable world. City of Toronto. 2011. pp. 46–47. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Mute swan - Canada goose - Toronto Waterfront". City of Toronto. 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ "Fishes of Toronto" (PDF). City of Toronto. 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ "Existing conditions: fish and other species". Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Checklist of the Mammals of Toronto" (PDF). Mammals of Toronto. City of Toronto. 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
External links[]
- Fauna of Canada
- Fauna of the Great Lakes region (North America)
- Environment of Toronto