Prepared by Talena Kraus. Adoption of the Amended Recovery Strategy for the Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) in Canada (Environment Canada 2010).

The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) requires the Minister of Natural Resources to ensure recovery strategies are prepared for all species listed as endangered or threatened on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List. Under the ESA, a recovery strategy may incorporate all or part of an existing plan that relates to the species.

The Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) is listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List. The species is also listed as endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Environment Canada prepared the Amended Recovery Strategy for the Henslow’s Sparrow in Canada in September, 2010 to meet its requirements under SARA. This recovery strategy is hereby adopted under the ESA. With the additions indicated below, the enclosed strategy meets all of the content requirements outlined in the ESA.

Henslow’s Sparrows nest in areas of open grassland, examples of which include abandoned fields, ungrazed or lightly grazed pasture, fallow hayfields, grassy swales in open rolling farmland, wet meadows and tallgrass fields. Important features of such grassland habitat are: dense vegetation cover, such as grasses, forbs and sedges, that is approximately 30 cm tall; a thick layer of standing dead plant material or litter covering the ground; less than one percent shrub cover and /or less than 10 woody stems per 250 m2; and an intermediate moisture regime or low-lying wet areas. It is recommended that contiguous areas of grassland habitat that are at least 30 ha in size and that contain the important features as described be included in a habitat regulation if a single confirmed or probable breeding event is recorded within the past 13 years. Given that (1) areas of suitable habitat may be used consistently over time (though not necessarily annually), (2) adjacent patches of suitable habitat may be more likely to be occupied than isolated ones, and (3) the species may track changes in habitat and thus be nomadic in successive breeding seasons, it is further recommended that suitable habitat areas as described above that are within five kilometres of a confirmed or probable breeding event within the past 13 years also be considered for inclusion in a habitat regulation.

Executive summary

Prepared by Environment Canada

Henslow’s Sparrow is a small grassland sparrow that is restricted to southern Ontario in Canada and is assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as an endangered species. It is listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) as endangered. It is also listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario List under the Endangered Species Act, 2007. In Canada, its population was an estimated 50 breeding pairs in the early 1980s, but in the 2001-2005 Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas breeding evidence was documented at only nine locations. This species also has a scattered and localized distribution in the northeastern United States, where its population has also been declining in many states. Henslow’s Sparrow has undergone a continental-scale average annual decline of 8.7% since 1966.

The loss and degradation of both breeding and wintering habitat have been identified as key threats and limiting factors for this species throughout its range. Its decline appears to closely track the loss of grassland and old-field habitats on the breeding grounds due to industrial and residential development and changes to agricultural practices. Changes to fire management of pine savanna on the wintering grounds have also resulted in loss and degradation of habitat.

There are unknowns regarding the feasibility of recovery of Henslow’s Sparrow. In keeping with the precautionary principle, this recovery strategy has been prepared as per section 41(1) of SARA as would be done when recovery is determined to be feasible. This recovery strategy addresses the unknowns surrounding feasibility of recovery. The population and distribution objectives for Henslow’s Sparrow over the next 5 years are to establish and secure at least one large patch (greater than 50 ha) of suitable grassland habitat and achieve at least one stable breeding population of 5-10 pairs. These objectives will be achieved primarily through habitat rehabilitation and management, in conjunction with recovery efforts for other grassland, prairie, and wetland species. A grassland patch greater than 50 ha in size is recommended. Little research is available on this species in Canada; consequently, much of the information presented is based on United States research. Grassland management methods used in the United States provide a model for Canada, and recovery of the Canadian population should be undertaken in close collaboration with managers in the United States.

The 2001–2005 Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas documented breeding evidence at only nine locations and breeding was not confirmed for any of the records. Individual reports since 2005 and surveys in 2007 and 2008 have also not resulted in any confirmed breeding records. Henslow’s Sparrows tend to exhibit ephemeral site occupancy and given Ontario’s low population numbers, there are no known locations where regular sightings of this species occur. Critical habitat cannot be identified in this recovery strategy since there is not enough information currently available. The recovery strategy also summarizes available information on successful recovery efforts for Henslow’s Sparrow in the United States. The recovery strategy provides direction for the next five years. One or more action plans pertaining to the Henslow’s Sparrow will be developed by 2013.