Critical Habitats and Associated Species in New Hampshire

How do we decide what's "critical"? Click here to find out.

Click on a habitat type to jump to a list of associated species:
Lake Riverine Floodplain forest Wet Meadow/Shrub Wetland Vernal Pools Northern Bog Salt Marsh Sand Dune Coastal Islands Sand plain/ Pitch Pine	Extensive Grassland Early Successional High Elevation Spruce Fir Acadian Spruce-Fir Forest Alpine Cliffs Caves/mines Ledge/ rocky outcrops/ scree Small Unfragmented Habitat Mosaics Large Unfragmented Habitat Mosaics
*NOTE:* Species-specific information will be added as it becomes available.

Lake Bald eagle Common loon Osprey Round whitefish Sunapee trout Riverine Cobblestone tiger beetle Puritan tiger beetle Dwarf wedge mussel Brook floater mussel Eastern pond mussel Shortnose sturgeon Swamp darter Banded sunfish Tessellated darter Brook lamprey Round whitefish Finescale dace Atlantic sturgeon Redfin pickerel Bridled shiner Redbelly dace Wood turtle Louisiana waterthrush Bald eagle Common loon Osprey Floodplain forest Jefferson salamander Northern leopard frog Wood turtle Red shouldered hawk Cerulean warbler Eastern red bat Silver haired bat Wet Meadow/Shrub Wetland Banded bog skimmer Eastern ribbon snake Blanding's turtle Spotted turtle Northern harrier Least bittern Pied-billed grebe Common moorhen Great blue heron (rookery) American bittern King rail Black duck Sedge wren Eastern red bat Silver haired bat Vernal Pools Jefferson salamander Marbled salamander Eastern ribbon snake Northern Bog Hoary comma Mink frog Spruce grouse Rusty blackbird Palm warbler Northern bog lemming Salt Marsh Willet Semipalmated sandpiper Common tern American bittern Black duck Short-eared owl Seaside sparrow Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow Saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow Sand Dune Piping plover Least tern Semipalmated sandpiper Coastal Islands Common tern Roseate tern Black guillemot Purple sandpiper Arctic tern	Sand plain/ Pitch Pine Karner blue butterfly Pine pinion moth Phyllira tiger moth Pine barrens itame Sleepy duskywing The cora moth Wild indigo duskywing Barrens xylotype Broad-lined catopyrrha Frosted elfin butterfly Persius dusky wing Pine barrens Zanclognatha moth Fowler's toad Eastern hognose snake Smooth green snake Black racer Eastern box turtle Whip-poor-will Common nighthawk Eastern towhee Extensive Grassland Northern leopard frog Black racer Smooth green snake Northern harrier Upland sandpiper Eastern meadowlark Horned lark Purple martin Vesper sparrow Henslow's sparrow Grasshopper sparrow Early Successional Black racer Smooth green snake American woodcock Ruffed grouse Eastern towhee Golden-winged warbler New England cottontail High Elevation Spruce Fir Spruce grouse Bay breasted warbler Bicknell's thrush Pine marten Canada lynx Acadian Spruce-Fir Forest Spruce grouse Three-toed woodpecker Rusty blackbird Purple finch Bay breasted warbler Hoary bat Northern bog lemming Pine marten Canada lynx Alpine White Mountain butterfly White Mountain fritillary American (water) pipit Cliffs Peregrine falcon Golden eagle Caves/mines Small-footed bat Eastern pipistrelle Northern long eared bat Indiana bat Ledge/ rocky outcrops/ scree Timber rattlesnake Small Unfragmented Habitat Mosaics Red shouldered hawk Cooper's hawk American woodcock Ruffed grouse Whip-poor-will Veery Wood thrush Canada warbler Cerulean warbler Large Unfragmented Habitat Mosaics Goshawk Black bear Bobcat Canada lynx Wolf

Criteria used to select species and habitats of greatest conservation concern to be addressed in New Hampshire's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan

The following sources were used when prioritizing species and habitats for inclusion to the list:

State Endangered and Threatened Species List
All species listed as endangered or threatened in NH (as of 6/21/01) were included.

Heritage Rank
Species with a state rank of S1 (critically imperiled because extreme rarity or some factor of its biology makes it particularly vulnerable to extinction) or S2 (Imperiled because rarity or other factors demonstrably make it very vulnerable to extinction)

Animal Tracking List
Species were considered if they were tracked by the Natural Heritage Bureau and listed in the Animal Tracking List (June 2003). The rare species database was used to determine the number of known occurrences in New Hampshire.

Species of Regional Concern
Species identified by the Northeast Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee as a regional concern (Therres 1999).

New Hampshire Ecological Reserve System/ Living Legacy Program
Expert panels were formed as a way to assess population conditions and vulnerability of species in New Hampshire. A list of critical wildlife habitats was developed based on the habitat requirements of associated wildlife species of concern in the state. The list of associated wildlife species was developed by the Project's Scientific Advisory Group and modified by the Ecoreserve Wildlife Working Group (12/5/01).

Taxonomic experts
Species were added to the list based on comments made by taxonomic experts. Taxonomic experts also considered taxonomic priority lists. For example, ornithologists considered priority species under BCR14 (HHP and HP species), Partners in Flight (PIF), Shorebird Plans, etc.

Criteria used by experts to determine status in state included:

Distribution and abundance in New Hampshire and Northeast. Peripheral species that are common elsewhere often were of less conservation concern than endemic or species in the core of range.
What is the risk to the species or species habitat in New Hampshire
Species vulnerability due to life-history characteristics (e.g., reproductive rate, home range size).
Population trends in New Hampshire, regionally, or globally (i.e., is species stable, declining for 1 yr, many years)

NOTE: While some species and groups of species are supported by large datasets, other groups, especially invertebrates, fish, and some reptiles and amphibians are poorly understood. These groups will require directed attention in the future to address species of greatest concern.