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Site description (2001 baseline)
Point Pelee National Park is located in southwestern Ontario near the town of Leamingtown. It is the most southerly mainland point in Canada, located on a sandspit that extends approximately 17 km southward into Lake Erie.

The majority of the park is marsh (approximately 11 km2) with deciduous forest being located on the higher sandy ground at the tip and along the west side of the peninsula. Within the drier areas, a variety of vegetative communities exist, all having been extensively modified by logging, housing, agriculture, and/or grazing prior to the establishment of the park. Of particular significance are the red cedar savannah and the hackberry forest communities which support several rare or threatened species of flora and fauna. Due to the parks southerly location a large number of provincially and nationally rare vascular plant species are present. Invasive plant species, however, are becoming an increasing problem and are out-competing many of these native species. Nationally threatened mammal species are also present, including the Eastern Mole and the reintroduced Southern Flying Squirrel.

Key biodiversity
Point Pelee National Park is most renowned for its concentrations of songbirds during both spring and fall migration. On some days the numbers of migrants are astounding. As an example, recent one-day peaks for several songbirds include: 5,000 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 3,000 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 400 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 620 Nashville Warblers, 280 Chestnut-sided Warblers, and 1,400 Baltimore Oriole. It is likely that several million songbirds migrate through the Park each year.

Numerous nationally threatened species are also present during migration (Prothonotary Warbler - 11 reported from May 6 to 26, 1997; Hooded Warbler - 53 reported from April 20 to May 21, 1995; Louisiana Waterthrush - 12 reported from April 18 to May 11; and Henslows Sparrow - 11 reported from April 20 to May 23, 1996). Henslows Sparrow is also identified as a globally near-threatened species. In addition to concentrations of threatened migrating species, over a third of eastern Canadas Yellow-breasted Chat population (as many as 32 pairs were reported in 1995) breed within the Park. Yellow-breasted Chats are identified as nationally vulnerable.

A number of waterbirds also occur at Point Pelee in significant numbers. At least two species (Red-breasted Mergansers, and Bonapartes Gull) are regularly present in globally significant numbers during migration (i.e., greater than 1% of their populations), and over the last five years three additional species have occasionally been recorded in globally significant numbers (Common Tern, Forsters Tern, and Black Tern). Double-crested Cormorant have also occurred in nationally significant numbers with as many as 8,600 birds being recorded in September of 1995.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Point Pelee (Canada). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/point-pelee-iba-canada on 23/12/2024.