The Kirtland's Warbler was nearly extinct, but now it's coming back. A project in Southern Ontario is helping these migratory songbirds in Canada. Thanks to international efforts, the Kirtland's Warbler population is growing once again.


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50 years ago, the Kirtland’s Warbler was nearly extinct.
Only a few hundred birds existed.

These small migratory songbirds
require large areas of young mixed pine and oak forests for nesting.

The Kirtland’s Warbler builds its nests on the ground at the base of young trees,
underneath the low branches.

When people started to manage forests, and fight forest fires,
forest ecosystems changed.

With fewer large forest fires,
there are fewer areas of young trees growing back
And less habitat for the Kirtland’s Warbler.

Over the last several decades, significant conservation efforts have been made internationally to recover their population.

In 2017, Southern Ontario’s Simcoe County joined these efforts,
by creating breeding habitat for the Kirtland’s Warbler.
And two years later, began a second project on another tract of land.

The creation of these new breeding habitats
has helped the Kirtland’s Warbler’s return to Canada.

While the Kirtland’s Warblers is still endangered in Canada,
thanks to international and Canadian efforts,
they have begun to recover.

Today, there are 5,500 Kirtland’s Warbler,
and the population is continuing to grow.