You can use it for research or reference. To access the current information, please visit NatureCounts - The State of Canada’s Birds (external link).
The Vesper Sparrow is an abundant species, reaching its highest densities in the southern Prairie Provinces. It is also found in suitable grassland and agricultural habitats across much of southern Canada. The Breeding Bird Survey shows that, on average, the national population has experienced a moderate decrease since 1970, both within Canada and throughout its North American range. The affinis subspecies of southwestern British Columbia, limited to only one nesting location in Canada, was assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada in 2006 (COSEWIC 2006g; reconfirmed in 2018), and listed under the Species at Risk Act in 2007. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Likely more abundant today than before the European settlement period, the Vesper Sparrow likely benefited from conversion of forests to agricultural land and increased planted cover (McMaster and Davis 2001, Jones and Cornely 2002). Decreasing populations in some areas are likely the result of changes to farming practices and reversion of marginal farmlands to forestlands (Jones and Cornely 2002). The primary threat to the affinis subspecies is habitat degradation and loss (ECCC 2016). The subspecies has disappeared from some historic breeding locations, though it was likely never common in British Columbia (ECCC 2016). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.
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.