Fauna of Toronto


The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems that includes forests, rivers, streams, and wetlands, which allows it to support a large variety of fauna. Approximately 87 to 90 per cent of the city's indigenous flora and fauna inhabit the city reside within the Toronto ravine system. The city's ravine system, creeks and rivers are wildlife corridors that allow animals to travel from one area of the city to another. Although most animals in Toronto reside within the ravine system, several animals also live in the city's urban environment and parks.
The City of Toronto reports there are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, 38 species of mammals, over 410 bird species, and a large number of insect genera in the city. There are also over 100 species of fish reported within the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto was also in the historic range of several other animals, although the city's urban growth in the 19th century and early 20th century led to these species' natural range to recede beyond the city limits.

Vertebrates

Amphibians and reptiles

There are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles that are considered native species within the city limits of Toronto, with most populations concentrated in the wetlands found in the city. Six of these native species were listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. The following amphibian and reptile species may be found throughout the City of Toronto:
  • Chelydridae
  • *Common snapping turtle
  • Colubridae
  • *Common garter snake
  • *De Kay's snake
  • *Milksnake
  • *Northern redbelly snake
  • *Northern water snake
  • *Smooth green snake
  • Hylidae
  • *Grey tree frog
  • *Spring peeper
  • *Western chorus frog
  • Kinosternidae
  • *Eastern musk turtle
  • Lungless salamander
  • *Eastern red-backed salamander
  • Mole salamander
  • *Spotted salamander
  • Pond turtle
  • *Blanding's turtle
  • *Midland painted turtle
  • *Northern map turtle
  • *Pond slider
  • *Spotted turtle
  • *Wood turtle
  • Proteidae
  • *Common mudpuppy
  • True frog
  • *American bullfrog
  • *Green frog
  • *Northern leopard frog
  • *Wood frog
  • True salamander
  • *Eastern newt
  • True toad
  • *American toad

    Birds

At least 195 bird species were confirmed to breed in the area, with a total of 410 species of birds recorded in the Greater Toronto Area. A number of birds pass through the Toronto while migrating, with the city being situated around where the Atlantic and the Mississippi migratory flyways converge.
The following bird species have been spotted in the City of Toronto, and Greater Toronto:
File:Bluejay - Relic38.jpg|thumb|Blue jays may be seen throughout the city. Toronto's Major League Baseball team is named after the bird.
File:Gavia immer -Gull Lake, Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada-8.jpg|thumb|The common loon is the provincial bird of Ontario, and a bird species that breeds within Greater Toronto.
File:Haliaeetus leucocephalus Lake Shore Toronto.jpg|thumb|A bald eagle at Humber Bay Park
File:Canada Goose, Toronto 13.jpg|thumb|A Canada goose along the Harbourfront of Toronto
File:Accipiter cooperii m Sam Smith Toronto3.jpg|thumb|A Cooper's hawk at Colonel Samuel Smith Park
File:Larus-glaucoides-002.jpg|thumb|An Iceland gull at the Scarborough Bluffs. The gull is one of 11 species from the genus Larus that has been recorded in the city.
File:Setophaga magnolia f Sam Smith Park Toronto.jpg|thumb|A magnolia warbler in Colonel Samuel Smith Park. The magnolia warbler is one of 52 New World warblers recorded in the city.
File:Cygnus olor Toronto.JPG|thumb|Introduced to the local ecosystem in the 19th century, mute swans are seen as an invasive species in Toronto. Their population requires regular management from the TRCA.
File:Mimus-polyglottos-002.jpg|thumb|A northern mockingbird perched on a branch at Humber Bay Park West.
File:Northern Cadinal M Lambton Woods.JPG|thumb|A northern cardinal at Lambton Woods Park in Toronto.
File:Buteo jamaicensis High Park Toronto1.jpg|thumb|A red-tailed hawk at High Park. The hawk is one of five species of the genus Buteo spotted in the city.
File:Bubo scandiacus Toronto 1.jpg|thumb|A snowy owl at the Leslie Street Spit. Snowy owls winter throughout southern Canada, including Toronto.
File:Cygnus buccinator swimming Toronto.jpg|thumb|A trumpeter swan swimming on the Toronto waterfront.