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Endangered bird species spotted in Simcoe County Forest restoration site

June 4, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Bird watchers should be happy to hear that two Kirtland’s Warblers have been seen in a restored area of the Simcoe County Forest.
The sighting of this globally endangered migratory songbird was reported by Simcoe County on May 28.
This sighting marks an exciting milestone for local conservation efforts and signals early success in creating habitat for a species that was once nearly extinct.
The birds were observed within a recently restored site designed to support early-successional pine/oak habitat, which is critical to this species.
The county began this restoration work in 2017, transforming a former aggregate pit through invasive species removal and site preparation, including controlled burns and extensive planting of native trees and vegetation.
The Kirtland’s Warbler was already assessed as Endangered when the Endangered Species Act took effect in 2008.
Kirtland’s Warbler is a medium-sized songbird at approximately 15 centimetres in length. Males have yellow bellies with dark streaking along the flanks and sides.
Their upper parts are blue-grey with dark streaks, and they have black cheeks and white eye rings.
Females and young look similar, but are not as boldly or brightly marked and have brownish highlights on the wings and back.
Its song – an explosive series of sharp notes – can be heard over 400 metres away in good conditions.
Kirtland’s Warblers have very specific habitat requirements, typically nesting in well-drained sandy soils covered in large forests of young jack pine, a habitat often created by fire.
They lay their nests on the ground, hidden under low branches of young jack pines, with a thick cover of plants such as grasses, sweet-fern, and blueberry.
They primarily breed in central Michigan and migrate to the Bahamas for the winter. A few are seen annually at Point Pelee National Park and other migration hotspots in southwestern Ontario, and they have long been suspected of nesting in pockets of suitable habitat across the province. 
Until now, breeding evidence in Ontario has been observed at only two sites. The most recent being in 2007 at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
The Simcoe County Forest project, the first of its kind in Canada, is part of a broader international effort to help the Kirtland’s Warbler. The species numbers fewer than 5,000 birds worldwide.
County staff worked with leading experts from the Canadian Wildlife Service and GEI Consultants Canada to complete the project.
With this positive development, residents may have an opportunity to observe these birds in their natural habitat.
The County reminds visitors that protecting this sensitive environment is essential to the species’ continued recovery.
Kirtland’s Warblers nest on the ground and are highly sensitive to disturbance, so it is important to follow all posted guidelines and respect habitat protections while on-site.

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