Endangered Species of Canada.

Canada post has issued the stamps series of the endangered species in one miniature sheet.The species are Prothonotary Warbler, Taylor’s Chekerspot, Roseate Tern, and Burrowing Owl. All stamps have same face value.

Prothonotary Warbler,is a small songbird of the New World warbler family and as the only member of the genus Protonotaria.The Prothonotary Warbler has characterized by 13 cm long and weighs 12.5 grams. They have an olive back with blue-grey wings and tail, yellow under parts, a relatively long pointed bill and black legs. They breeds in hardwood swamps in southern Canada and the eastern United States, nesting in a cavity, sometimes using old Downy Woodpecker holes.

Taylor’s Chekerspot or Euphydryas editha taylori, is a subspecies of Edith’s checkerspot, is a striking, red-, black- and white-checked butterfly. They are so named because of the checkerboard pattern on the dorsal side of the wings.The females can be larger than the males. Taylor’s checkerspots have been recorded in the Pacific Northwest from south-eastern Vancouver Island, through the Puget Trough (San Juan Islands to Tenino, Washington) and to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. In spite of intensive searching in 2001, there have been no confirmed sightings of this butterfly since 2000. This subspecies may be close to extirpation.

Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. They breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America, and winters south to the Caribbean and west Africa. Both the European and North American populations have been in long term decline.This species breeds in colonies on coasts and islands. It nests in a ground scrape, often in a hollow or under dense vegetation, and lays one or two (rarely three) eggs.This is a small-medium tern, 33-36 cm long with a 67-76 cm wingspan.Roseate Tern's thin sharp bill is black, with a red base.The upper wings are pale grey and its under parts white, and this tern looks very pale in flight.The call of the Roseate Tern is a very characteristic chuwit.The Canadian Wildlife Service lists the Roseate Tern as Threatened. The U.S. Department of Interior lists the northeastern population as Endangered and the Caribbean population as Threatened.

Burrowing Owl or Athene cunicularia is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation.They nest and roost in burrows.Burrowing owls range from the southern portions of the western Canadian provinces through southern Mexico and western Central America. Burrowing owls are year-round residents in most of their range. Burrowing owls breed in Canada and the northern USA usually migrate south to Mexico and southern USA during winter months.The major reasons for declining populations in North America are control programs for prairie dogs and loss of habitat. The Burrowing owls is endangered in Canada, threatened in Mexico, and a species of special concern in Florida and most of the western USA. It is a state endangered species in Colorado.