Birds, plants, insects join list of 860 at-risk Canadian species

A short-billed dowitcher is seen in this photo (Credit: Christian Artuso, via the Committe on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada)

Canada's list of at-risk species is growing once again, environmental experts say.

Last month's meeting of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed four new species to be actively endangered, bringing the total of known at-risk species to 860, nationwide.

Among the newly designated endangered species are an aquatic bird in Canada's north, a kind of moss described as "extremely rare," a spiky, grass-like plant known as a "rush" and a grasshopper native to the British Columbia Interior – one that has run afoul of habitat constraints.

"The south Okanagan Valley is a goldmine for insects, with new species found every year," said committee member Jennifer Heron in a Thursday release.

"We came across the Valley Grasshopper there for the first time in 2010. This little grasshopper's habitat is threatened by the potential rapid expansion of housing development."

The short-fruited rush, meanwhile, could already have more protections on their way. Found only in Windsor, Ont., the COSEWIC release reads, the plant's largest population is centred in the Ojibway Prairie Complex, a short distance from the city's downtown core. That complex is on track to become a national urban park, bringing federal attention to the City of Windsor's local conservation efforts.

There's more good news: Besides the new species, COSEWIC announced it had reassessed seven existing members of the list, moving three of them into less-dire categories of risk upon learning there are more living members of those species in the wild than previously understood.

Though the committee release stresses they aren't "out of the woods yet," species like the lilliput mussel, also found in southern Ontario, may be able to breathe a little easier.

But as the evolving threats to Canada's wildlife march on, COSEWIC says its work is coming under additional strain.

"Given the magnitude of the biodiversity crisis, we need all hands on deck to identify, assess and conserve species at risk of extinction in Canada," said committee chair David Lee.

"Our assessments rely on the efforts of many dedicated people across the country."