Learn about 10 endangered species that call Wisconsin home
Learn about 10 of the endangered species that live in Wisconsin and how you might be able to help them.
Wisconsin is home to an abundance of wildlife. The Badger State is of course home to plenty of badgers (University of Wisconsin students and the animals), but if you’re lucky you can also spot deer, bears, wolves, and more than 300 different species of birds. While it may seem like the state has an endless amount of wildlife and animals, some of these species are in critical trouble and have been listed as endangered species.
In 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) published a list of more than 60 species of birds, fish, insects, mammals, and other animals that are endangered in the state, and there are even more that are threatened. Just because a species is endangered doesn’t mean that it’s hopeless. Helping these endangered species can come from several different actions, like reporting wildlife harassment, protecting natural habitats, or even volunteering your services at different restoration projects.
Here are 10 of the endangered species that live in Wisconsin, plus a few different ways to help them.
Blanchard’s cricket frog
Wisconsin’s not the only place where you can come across a Blanchard’s cricket frog — in the United States, it can be found as far north as Minnesota, and as far south as Texas and Louisiana. The frog has also been found in parts of Canada. But just because it’s widespread, doesn’t mean that it’s safe. The Blanchard’s cricket frog has been on the Wisconsin DNR list of endangered species in the state since 1981.
There is good news for the Blanchard’s cricket frog: Rather than being endangered throughout the world, it’s only considered an endangered or a threatened species in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Studies have been conducted as to why populations of the frog are decreasing in the three states, but no conclusive answer has ever been given.
Blanchard’s cricket frogs live along the edges of streams, ponds, and ditches, and the frog, which spans from one-half to one-and-a-half inches long, has a lifespan of one year. To help protect the frog’s habitat, the Wisconsin DNR recommends mowing, burning, and using herbicides 75 feet or more away from a wetland.
American marten
The only mammal that’s endangered in Wisconsin is the American marten: a long, slender weasel that can be found throughout Alaska and Canada, as well as some locations in the continental United States, including Wisconsin. The American marten has been on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered species in the state since 1972, as the mammal’s population decreased due to the fur trade.
Populations of American martens decreased significantly in the 18th and 19th centuries, but after the fur trade diminished in the 20th century, the species started to increase its number. In 2018, biologists began planting cameras throughout the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to capture photos of the American marten and more accurately track the mammals to estimate current population sizes. The Wisconsin DNR has also made several attempts at reintroducing the species to habitats in Wisconsin, with varying degrees of success.
Kirtland’s warbler
A Kirtland’s warbler, a small species of songbird, is an extremely well-traveled bird. The birds spend their winters in the Caribbean but typically spend the spring and summer seasons near the Great Lakes, including Wisconsin.
One of the reasons that the Kirtland’s warbler is considered endangered within the state is because of habitat loss, and because the birds require a very specific habitat. The birds live exclusively in young jack pine forests, where the trees are between six and 20 years old.
While the Kirtland’s warbler remains endangered, it’s made a tremendous comeback. The Kirtland’s warbler was nearly extinct, but a recovery plan for the bird was developed in the 1970s. In 2017, 53 Kirtland’s warblers, and 20 nests, were found in Wisconsin, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
It’s tough work to keep a consistent habitat for the bird species, and it requires continual clearing and planting of jack pine forests. The American Bird Conservancy has set up a donation page to raise funds to protect the bird and its natural habitat.
Northern blue butterfly
Found only in a few of Wisconsin’s northeastern counties, the northern blue butterfly is one of Wisconsin’s most endangered butterfly species. The small butterfly, which has a typical wingspan of one inch to one-and-a-quarter inches, makes its habitat in pine barrens, oak-pine barrens or dry northern forests.
The northern blue butterfly is one of several insects that is on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered species in the state, and has been on the list since 1989. The main reason for the species’ endangered listing is because of habitat loss. To help save the butterfly species, their habitats need to be protected, and populations need to be tracked, according to Butterflies and Moths, where anyone who has spotted a northern blue butterfly can report their sighting.
Western ribbon snake
Western ribbon snakes can be identified from its greenish-white stripes down the side of its body, and white stomach. However, the species has only been identified a few times in Wisconsin.
The snake species has been on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered species since 1979 and has been spotted in the state fewer than six times, according to Environmental Education for Kids. Each time that the snake has been seen in the state, it’s been near a marsh or other wetland.
In the wild, the snakes can live between three and six years, but only 12 and 20 years in captivity. The main threats for western ribbon snakes within Wisconsin are development and when their habitats are disturbed. The Wisconsin DNR has also said that another threat to western ribbon snakes is the use of pesticides, so a way to help western ribbon snakes would be to eliminate the use of pesticides, especially near its natural habitats, like in brush-heavy areas with bodies of water, including lakes, ponds, and streams.
Midwest pleistocene vertigo
Some species are listed as endangered because their populations have been drastically reduced, and others are listed as endangered because their populations were never overwhelmingly large to begin with, and they’re considered a rare species. The Midwest pleistocene vertigo, a species of snail, is one of the rare species found in Wisconsin and has been on the state’s endangered species list since 1989.
The reason for the snail’s rarity in Wisconsin is that it has a very specific preferred habitat: a cold, undisturbed, and well-forest slope. Due to the snail’s hyper-specific habitat, the best way to help preserve the species is by preserving its natural habitat, mostly within the southwestern portion of the state.
Black tern
The black tern can be found throughout the world — from parts of Western Asia, through Europe, as well as the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, including Wisconsin. But unlike other areas in the world, North American black terns have a declining population due to habitat loss. The bird species has been on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered species since 2014.
The bird’s typical habitat is near shallow freshwater marshes and is primarily found in the south-central and southeastern parts of Wisconsin.
While not in Wisconsin, Audubon has launched two restoration projects at breeding sites for the bird species in Michigan. The two sites had been suffering from habitat loss due to invasive plants, severe weather, and several other factors. At the sites, birds are monitored, banded, and tagged so researchers can closely examine how the populations are faring with restoration work. It’s also been recommended to eliminate the use of pesticides near freshwater marshes where the birds would be found.
Queensnake
Found throughout much of the eastern part of the United States, the queen snake is a brown or black snake with a yellow stripe running down its side that is usually between 15 and 24 inches long. The snake is one of six reptiles on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered species, and it’s been on the list since 1972.
Queensnakes prefer habitats near warm water streams or small rivers and rely on these sources to find their food, which consists of crayfish. A reason for its dwindling population within Wisconsin is due to habitat loss.
The snake is not endangered federally but is listed as endangered on the state level. When projects or other events occur that could endanger the snake species and its habitats, the state issues notices, and allows the public to comment on a project before it is approved or denied, including a 2020 bridge repair project in Racine.
Skipjack herring
It’s not just land animals that are endangered in Wisconsin; there are several species of fish on the state’s endangered species list as well, including the skipjack herring. The fish is typically found in the Mississippi River but has also been found in Lake Michigan and Green Bay.
The Skipjack herring has been on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered and threatened species since 1989. One of the major reasons that the fish isn’t found as commonly in Wisconsin, or the more northern reaches of the Mississippi River, as it previously was, is because of dams.
The completion of dams, including a dam in Keokuk, Iowa, has made it more difficult for the fish to migrate to more northern parts of the river, according to the Minnesota DNR. While they are not as prevalent in the northern parts of the Mississippi River, they are more common in the river’s lower reaches.
Ornate box turtle
Many types of turtles have been classified as endangered, including one that’s native to Wisconsin: the ornate box turtle.
The turtle, the state reptile of Nebraska and Kansas, is found throughout the Midwest and Great Plains of the United States. The ornate box turtle has been on the Wisconsin DNR’s list of endangered and threatened species since 1972 and is protected in six different states: Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, and Indiana. The turtle species is endangered for several reasons, including habitat loss due to development and agriculture, and over-exploitation by humans who want the turtles as pets.
There are ways to help protect Wisconsin’s population of ornate box turtles. The Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program also offers ways for community members to get involved in the preservation of the turtles. Wisconsin residents can call the program to report any turtles sighted on the road, to help prevent the animals from being hit by cars throughout the summer, as female turtles migrate to upland areas to nest, and often have to cross roads to reach the areas.
The Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program also looks for volunteers to help protect turtle nests by building turtle nest cages out of mesh wire and stakes. Instructions for building the cages, which can be placed on turtles found nesting in yards to protect the nests from other predators, can be found on the conservation program’s website.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
