Two subspecies of the Northern Wheatear occur in Canada; the western form nests in mountainous areas of the Yukon and the eastern form nests from the eastern subarctic to the High Arctic. Northern Wheatears are poorly monitored by existing survey programs. Therefore, the current status of their populations, relative to about 1970, cannot be assessed at this time. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The species' global population size is perhaps 125 million individuals (Moreau 1972), and its global conservation status is secure. Some areas of the breeding range found along the Labrador coast may be exposed to flights of low-level military aircraft and localized loss of habitat from natural resource extraction (Peckford and Whitaker 2005). Although populations have declined in some European countries due to habitat loss (Kren and Zoerb 1997), such declines are unlikely in Canada due to the remote nature of the species' breeding range. However, declines in habitat quality on the African wintering grounds may affect Canadian populations (Montgomerie 2018).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
