Two subspecies occur in Canada: O. o. oenanthe breeds in the Yukon and the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories, while O. o. leucorhoa breeds across the Eastern Canadian Arctic, from Labrador to Ellesmere Island. Both subspecies winter in tropical regions of Africa (Kren and Zoerb 1997), resulting in one of the longest recorded songbird migrations (Montgomerie 2018). Northern Wheatears are poorly monitored by existing survey programs, though there is some anecdotal evidence that the eastern form has increased in numbers and has expanded its breeding range southward (Peckford and Whitaker 2005). However, the current status of the national Northern Wheatear population, relative to the 1970s, cannot be assessed at this time. The species is therefore considered to be data deficient; a population goal has not been determined.
