Table 1: SuAsCo Focal Species by Group
Group	Species	Habitat	Comments
Mammal	beaver	red maple swamp	keystone species, changes area to beaver meadow
Mammal	bobcat	mixed oak/white pine forest	has been seen in SuAsCo, needs large area with abundant cover, rocky ledges
Mammal	fisher	mixed oak/white pine forest	wide ranging species uses a variety of habitats. needs good tree canopy
Mammal	gray fox	mixed oak/white pine forest	an elusive species that has been seen in various parts of the watershed
Mammal	mink	river and streams	other habitat such as streams more appropriate listing; indicator of healthy stream system
Mammal	muskrat	emergent and deep water marsh	keystone species
Mammal	river otter	emergent and deep water marsh, rivers and streams
Mammal	porcupine	mixed oak/white pine with hemlock groves	requires ledges and hemlock
Mammal	southern bog lemming	bog, fen	state-listed “special concern”
Mammal	water shrew	wet meadows and streams	state-listed “special concern”
Bird	pied-billed grebe	lakes and ponds, emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “endangered”
Bird	wood duck	wooded swamps, rivers, ponds	once very rare in the state; Great meadows NWR manages for this species, nests in trees; Partners in Flight
Bird	hooded merganser	red maple swamp	nests in trees
Bird	great blue heron heronry	rivers and streams, emergent and deep water marsh,	common bird, but heronries are unusual; flagship species
Bird	black-crowned night heron	lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, shrub swamp and riverine.	birds roost in colonies in trees
Bird	green heron	red maple swamp
Bird	least bittern	emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “endangered”
Bird	American bittern	emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “endangered”
Bird	Virginia rail	emergent and deep water marsh
Bird	sora	emergent and deep water marsh
Bird	king rail	emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “threatened”
Bird	American woodcock	alder swamps, fields, red maple swamps in combination	Partners in Flight
Bird	spotted sandpiper	lakes and ponds, rivers and streams	undisturbed shorelines
Bird	ruffed grouse	pitch pine-oak forest, oak forest	excellent indicator of oak forest and scrub oak habitat
Bird	wild turkey	oak forest	making a come back,
Bird	Cooper’s hawk	mixed oak/white pine forest	marginal selection as is adapted to fragmented habitat; state listed as “special concern”
Bird	northern goshawk	mixed oak white pine forest	requires large areas undisturbed by human activity
Bird	red-shouldered hawk	red maple swamp
Bird	broad-winged hawk	mixed oak/white pine forest	large areas
Bird	osprey, nesting	emergent and deep water marsh, lakes and ponds, rivers and streams	nesting osprey are very rare in SuAsCo.
Bird	American kestrel	grasslands	a declining species
Bird	great horned owl	mixed oak/white pine forest	large pine tress for nesting
Bird	barred owl	mixed oak/white pine forest	near swamps
Bird	common nighthawk	pitch pine-oak forest	more open habitat than whip-poor-will
Bird	whip-poor-will	pitch pine-oak forest, dense shrubs with open areas	not at all common except perhaps occasional in Desert; used to be more common.
Bird	belted kingfisher	lakes and ponds, rivers and streams	requires banks to nest in
Bird	pileated woodpecker	mixed oak/white pine forest	large trees for nesting
Bird	great crested flycatcher	mixed oak/white pine forest
Bird	eastern peewee	mixed oak/white pine forest
Bird	willow flycatcher	shrub swamp	with willows
Bird	alder flycatcher	shrub swamp	with alders
Bird	brown creeper	mixed oak/white pine forest	requires older trees
Bird	winter wren	mixed oak/white pine forest near red maple swamp	large unfragmented forest, richer woods
Bird	marsh wren	emergent and deep water marsh	locally common but Sudbury supports main part of population in the state
Bird	brown thrasher	pitch pine-oak forest. shrubby habitat	declining species
Bird	eastern blue bird	red maple swamps and fields	nesting boxes have helped to increase the numbers of bluebirds
Bird	hermit thrush	mixed oak/white pine forest, pitch pine-oak forest	large unfragmented forest; near ground nester
Bird	veery	red maple swamp
Bird	wood thrush	mixed oak/white pine forest	large unfragmented forest, near ground nester; Partners in Flight
Bird	blue-headed vireo (formerly solitary)	mixed oak/white pine forest	Estabrook woods.
Bird	black-throated green warbler	mixed oak/white pine forest	large unfragmented forest with hemlock; partners in flight
Bird	black-and-white warbler	mixed shrub
Bird	chestnut-sided warbler	shrubby habitat	Partners in Flight.
Bird	pine warbler	pitch-pine forest
Bird	blue-winged warbler	shrubby edge	Partners in Flight
Bird	prairie warbler	brushy openings	Partners in Flight
Bird	northern waterthrush	red maple swamp with streams	requires unfragmented, secluded areas;
Bird	Louisiana waterthrush	rivers and streams	cool streams flowing through cool, rich forest; Partners in Flight
Bird	oven bird	mixed oak/white pine forest
Bird	bobolink	grassland > 5 acres
Bird	eastern meadowlark	grassland
Bird	Indigo bunting	shrubby edge
Bird	eastern towhee	any shrubby habitat, pitch pine oak-forest	declining species
Bird	field sparrow	successional scrub	declining species
Bird	swamp sparrow	emergent and deep water marsh
Bird	grasshopper sparrow	grassland	state-listed as “threatened”
Bird	Savannah sparrow	grassland
Amphibian	blue-spotted salamander	vernal pool; red maple and shrub swamps which have standing water 2-3 months out of year	state-listed “special concern”
Amphibian	spotted salamander	vernal pool; red maple and shrub swamps which have standing water 2-3 months out of year	“watch-list”
Amphibian	marbled salamander	mixed oak/white pine forest	woodlands from swampy to dry; in western part of watershed; state-listed as “threatened”
Amphibian	northern dusky salamander	mixed oak/white pine forest	seeps, small streams; streams with rocks
Amphibian	two-lined salamander	cold streams, brooks, seeps in forests	rocky bottom
Amphibian	four-toed salamander	bog, fen	requires sphagnum moss; state-listed “special concern”
Amphibian	northern leopard frog	floodplains, wet meadows	appears to be declining in SuAsCo.
Amphibian	wood frog	vernal pool
Reptile	spotted turtle	bogs, vernal pools, swamps	state-listed “special concern”
Reptile	wood turtle	rivers and streams; woodlands; fields	need protected upland habitat as well for nesting; state-listed “special concern”
Reptile	Blanding’s turtle	emergent and deep water marsh, lakes and ponds, variety of wetlands	state-listed as “threatened;” SuAsCo harbors a good percentage of a disjunct population.
Reptile	eastern box turtle	pitch pine-oak forest, mixed oak/white pine forest, grassland	large intact woodlands with field/meadow and goldenrod ecotones; needs disturbed sites for nesting; state-listed “special concern”
Reptile	northern black racer	mixed oak/white pine forest, open fields, early successional grassland edge	thought to be declining in SuAsCo
Reptile	northern ring-necked snake	mixed oak/white pine forest	woodland with downed timber
Reptile	smooth green snake	moist grassy fields
Reptile	northern red-bellied snake	successional grasslands;
Butterfly	bronze copper	emergent and deep water marsh; especially river flood plains	rarely found away from this region; larvae feed on curled dock, tussock sedge and other sedges; needs disturbance; has declined drastically in recent years.
Butterfly	bog copper	bog	acid bogs, cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
Butterfly	brown elfin	pitch pine-oak forest
Butterfly	pine elfin	pitch pine-oak forest	pitch pine preferred, most common in pine barrens
Butterfly	Edward’s hairstreak	pitch pine-oak forest	woodlands with scrubby oaks and adja- cent clearings, poor soil areas of pine barrens, rocky hill-tops, caterpillar feeds on scrub oak (Q. ilicifolia)
Butterfly	cobweb skipper	grassland	dry upland little bluestem sites,
Butterfly	mulberry wing	wet meadow
Butterfly	broad-winged skipper	emergent and deep water marsh	phragmites is its host plant. Phragmites is an invasive exotic that is increasing. Focal species in a negative way?
Butterfly	black dash	emergent and deep water marsh, wet meadow	wet meadows and marshes; tussock and other sedges, swamp milkweed good indicator for this sp.
Butterfly	dusted skipper	grassland	dry fields and powerline cuts with little bluestem grass
Butterfly	Hessel’s hairstreak	AWC swamps	state-listed as “special concern”
Other insects	Mystic valley amphipod	emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “special concern”
Fish	alewife	slow moving, lake-like rivers	being restored to Concord River
Fish	shortnose dace	rivers and streams
Fish	eastern brook trout, native	cool water streams	naturally breeding
Plant	wild rice	marsh	along Concord River
Plant	Britton’s violet	wet meadow	state-listed as “threatened”
Plant	river birch	floodplain forest	along Concord River; “watch list”
Plant	river bulrush (Scirpus fluviatilis)	emergent and deep water marsh	state-listed as “special concern;” common in Sudbury and Concord River

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