Fauna of Toronto facts for kids

A coyote in Neville Park ravine, The Beaches, Toronto.

The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems which allows it to support a large variety of fauna; many of which are situated within the Toronto ravine system. The ravine system including forests, rivers and streams, and wetland ecosystems. A number of other animals have also adapted to the Toronto's urban environment, parks, and the creeks and rivers that run throughout the city.

Toronto was also in the historic ranges of several mammal species, although the city's urban growth led to these species natural range to recede beyond the city limits.

Vertebrates

Amphibians and reptiles

Blanding's turtles is one of several endangered species that inhabit the city.

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. Approximately six of these native species were listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. The following amphibian and reptile species (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:

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 (either breeding, in migration, or vagrant). 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 (sorted by family) have been spotted in the City of Toronto, and Greater Toronto:

Blue jays may be seen throughout the city. Toronto's Major League Baseball team is named after the bird.

The common loon is the provincial bird of Ontario, and a bird species that breeds within Greater Toronto.

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.

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.

A northern mockingbird perched on a branch at Humber Bay Park West.

A northern cardinal at Lambton Woods Park in Toronto.

A red-tailed hawk eating a bird in St. Lawrence, Toronto. The hawk is one of six species of the genus Buteo spotted in the city.

A snowy owl at the Leslie Street Spit. Snowy owls winter throughout southern Canada, including Toronto.

A trumpeter swan swimming on the Toronto waterfront.

Fish

There is approximately 100 species of coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater fish found within the waterways of Greater Toronto. The following fish species are found in the creeks, ponds, and rivers that make up the Toronto waterway system, and the Toronto waterfront along Lake Ontario:

Mammals

A beaver swimming in Toronto's Humber Bay. The beaver is one of Canada's national animals, and can be found in the city.

White-tailed deers at the Rouge National Urban Park, a national urban park in Rouge, Toronto.

There are 38 species of mammals that reside within Toronto, although these numbers have fluctuated due to environmental changes and loss of natural habitats during the past century. The following mammals (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:

Historic species

The historic range for several mammal species once extended into the City of Toronto. However, as the city developed, the natural range for several mammals receded beyond the city limits. At least 11 species of mammals were extirpated from the region. The historic range for the following mammals once included Toronto, but were pushed beyond the city limits prior to 1912:

Invertebrates

A monarch butterfly nectaring in The Queensway – Humber Bay.

Within the city of Toronto, there exists approximately 110 species of butterflies, although this number is prone to fluctuations as a result of a varied environment from year to year. There is approximately six families of bees in Toronto, which includes 37 genuses and 364 species of bees in Toronto. Past published records estimate that there are 25 genuses and approximately 200 species of spiders in Toronto; 24 of which were introduced to the region. However, it is estimated that the actual number of species that exist in the city is approximately three times larger. The following insects may be found throughout the City of Toronto including: