Boreal Forest of Canada

The largest intact forest systems in North America.
5B
birds migrate south from the Boreal each year
12%
of world’s land-based carbon reserves are here
100M
acres of proposed Indigenous-led protected lands

The Boreal Forest—North America’s bird nursery—is one of the largest intact forest systems left on Earth. Stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland, it provides nesting grounds and migratory stopovers for nearly half of the common bird species found in North America. Caribou, bears, wolves, lynxes, wolverines, and countless other species thrive here in numbers rarely seen elsewhere.

North America’s Boreal Forest also captures and stores enormous amounts of carbon, especially within its soils, peatlands, and permafrost. It is home to a quarter of the world’s wetlands, with millions of lakes—including some of the largest and most pristine on Earth—and the longest free-flowing rivers remaining on the continent.

Indigenous governments and organizations are responsible for the most ambitious plans to preserve these Boreal lands. Audubon is working to elevate and provide support for important initiatives such as Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Indigenous Guardians across Canada. 

Boreal Forest News

Remember that Audubon depends on your support to do the conservation work that we do.
Lesser Yellowlegs wading in water.
Yellowlegs Mysteries Revealed
August 11, 2022 — Scientists using radio tags and towers are learning how these shorebirds travel from the Boreal to Colombia and back again.
A bird with a black head and black-and-white body swims on water alongside some purple flowers
A New Indigenous Protected Area Emerges on Hudson Bay
June 03, 2022 — The Seal River Watershed Alliance will help protect 12 million acres of lakes, rivers, and lands.
Biodiversity Day logo: May 22
22 Actions You Can Take for Birds
May 19, 2022 — Celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity on 5/22/22
Red-winged Blackbird are early spring arrivals in Maine.
Flying North
May 12, 2022 — Migratory birds are on the move and many are bound for the Boreal.
Resources and Downloads
Birding in the Boreal?
Download our checklist before you go and see how many species you can find.
Data, Facts, and Figures
Download our reports and factsheets to learn more about the birds and people of the Boreal
See it, hear it, protect it
Watch one of our videos to learn more about fascinating boreal birds and how to help protect them
Where exactly is the Boreal?
Explore our maps to better understand the vast landscapes we are working in across Canada
Stay Informed
To stay informed on Audubon's Boreal Conservation work, sign up for updates today!
Iconic Birds of the Boreal Forest
Priority Bird
Canada Warbler
Cardellina canadensis
Wood Warblers
Blackburnian Warbler
Setophaga fusca
Wood Warblers
Blackpoll Warbler
Setophaga striata
Wood Warblers
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
Vireos
Black Scoter
Melanitta americana
Ducks and Geese
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Ducks and Geese
Canada Jay
Perisoreus canadensis
Crows, Magpies, Jays
White-winged Crossbill
Loxia leucoptera
Finches
Cape May Warbler
Setophaga tigrina
Wood Warblers
Connecticut Warbler
Oporornis agilis
Wood Warblers
Boreal Chickadee
Poecile hudsonicus
Chickadees and Titmice
Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla
Wood Warblers
Evening Grosbeak
Coccothraustes vespertinus
Finches
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Blackbirds and Orioles
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Thrushes
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
New World Sparrows
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
New World Sparrows
American Tree Sparrow
Spizelloides arborea
New World Sparrows
Harris's Sparrow
Zonotrichia querula
New World Sparrows
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalis
Ducks and Geese
Priority Bird
Brant
Branta bernicla
Ducks and Geese
Common Loon
Gavia immer
Loons
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Falcons
Great Gray Owl
Strix nebulosa
Owls
Boreal Owl
Aegolius funereus
Owls
Black-backed Woodpecker
Picoides arcticus
Woodpeckers
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Woodpeckers
Priority Bird
Spruce Grouse
Canachites canadensis
Pheasants and Grouse
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Sandpipers
Priority Bird
Hudsonian Godwit
Limosa haemastica
Sandpipers