Environment and Conservation
December 18, 2009

Songbird to be Protected Under Endangered Species Act

The olive-sided flycatcher, a medium-sized migratory songbird, will be given protection under the province�s Endangered Species Act. This follows the listing of the songbird as a threatened species following a recent assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The committee is recognized under the Endangered Species Act as the national body that provides listing advice on species of national conservation concern occurring in this province.

�COSEWIC has recommended that the olive-sided flycatcher be listed as threatened, based on the best available scientific and traditional knowledge of this species,� said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. �The criteria used by the committee in making an assessment are nationally and internationally recognized, and provide an objective assessment of the status of a species. The listing is a formal and legal recognition of its status, as well as its need for the extra protection offered by the Endangered Species Act.�

The olive-sided flycatcher is olive-grey in colour with a white throat, breast patch and belly. Its song is a distinct loud three-note whistle. It breeds throughout Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador. This species winters in Panama and the Andes Mountains. It has shown a widespread continuous decline in numbers over the past 30 years across both Canada and the United States. At this time, causes of these population reductions remain unclear, although habitat alteration and loss, particularly wintering and migration habitat, have been suggested as the most likely factors.

�The legal listing and the protection it offers is only the first step in the recovery process,� said Minister Johnson. �Equally important are the establishment of a recovery team and the preparation of a recovery plan which must occur within two years of the listing of a species as threatened. The recovery team will be made up of stakeholders, researchers and wildlife managers familiar with the species. Forest industry representatives and forest managers will also be invited to participate in recognition of the role they can play in habitat management, and community involvement in the conservation of this species will also be encouraged.�

This new listing brings the total number of species, subspecies and populations that are listed under the province�s Endangered Species Act to 32 � 10 endangered, nine threatened and 13 vulnerable species. For further information on endangered species, visit www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/wildlife/wildlife_at_risk.htm

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Media contact:
Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca

2009 12 18                                 10:40 a.m.