Extinct Birds in Canada
Nine types of birds have become extinct in Canada in recorded history. These include two populations of birds in the Georgia Depression of southwest British Columbia that were geographically isolated from other members of their species.
Four species on this list of extirpated Canadian birds are globally extinct: Labrador duck, eskimo curlew, great auk and passenger pigeon. The Georgia Depression population of Lewis's woodpecker is also gone from its entire range. The rest of the bird species, subspecies and populations no longer in Canada still survive in the United States.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Gone From |
|---|---|---|
| Aleutian Canada Goose | Branta hutchinsii leucopareia | British Columbia |
| Labrador Duck | Camptorhynchus labradorius | New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec |
| Greater Prairie-chicken | Tympanuchus cupido | Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan |
| Eskimo Curlew | Numenius borealis | Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan |
| Great Auk | Pinguinus impennis | New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec |
| Passenger Pigeon | Ectopistes migratorius | All provinces except was never in Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Streaked Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris strigata | British Columbia |
| Lewis's Woodpecker - Georgia Depression | Melanerpes lewis pop. 1 | British Columbia |
| Western Meadowlark - Georgia Depression | Sturnella neglecta pop. 1 | British Columbia |
Provincial Losses of Birds
A half dozen bird species have vanished from their former range in one or more provinces, although they still live elsewhere in Canada.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Gone From |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Sage-grouse | Centrocercus urophasianus | British Columbia |
| Spruce Grouse | Falcipennis canadensis | Prince Edward Island |
| Whooping Crane | Grus americana | Manitoba, Nunavut, Saskatchewan |
| Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus | Manitoba |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | British Columbia |
| Trumpeter Swan | Cygnus buccinator | Manitoba to Nova Scotia, reintroduced in Ontario |
Another ten bird species are suspected, but not yet confirmed, of being extirpated at a provincial level. If the Kirtland's warbler's has disappeared, this would also be a national loss.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Gone From |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Gannet | Morus bassanus | New Brunswick |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | Manitoba |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | Ontario |
| Black Guillemot | Cepphus grylle | Ontario |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | New Brunswick, Nova Scotia |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Prince Edward Island |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | Ontario |
| Kirtland's Warbler | Dendroica kirtlandii | Ontario |
| Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys | Manitoba |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | Ontario |