Endangered Species Day: What species are endangered in Massachusetts?

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Friday is Endangered Species Day. In Massachusetts, there are 432 species that are either considered endangered, threatened or special concern.

Under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA), all of these species are protected as well as their habitat. Humans are not allowed to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, hound, kill, trap, capture, collect, process, disrupt the nesting, breeding, feeding or migratory activity or attempt to engage in any such conduct, or to assist such conduct to animals. For plants protected by MESA, humans are not allowed to collect, pick, kill, transplant, cut or process or attempt to engage or to assist in any such conduct.

As of 2020, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 217 endangered, 108 threatened and 108 special concern species that are protected. The most common species you may have heard of are bald eagles, peregrine falcons, blue whales and North Atlantic right whales.

Before 2012, bald eagles were considered endangered in Massachusetts but their population has increased over the years. They are now ranked as special concern in the commonwealth.

The following are species that are considered endangered (E) or threatened (T):

Fish:

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Shortnose Sturgeon	E	E
Atlantic Sturgeon	E	E/T
Northern Redbelly Dace	E
Lake Chub	E
Threespine Stickleback	T
American Brook Lamprey	T

Birds

Common Name	MAStatus	Fed Status
Grasshopper Sparrow	T
Short-eared Owl	E
Upland Sandpiper	E
American Bittern	E
Red Knot	T	T
Piping Plover	T	T
Northern Harrier	T
Sedge Wren	E
Peregrine Falcon	SC
Bald Eagle	SC
Least Bittern	E
Leach’s Storm-petrel	E
Pied-billed Grebe	E
Vesper Sparrow	T
King Rail	T
Northern Parula	T
Roseate Tern	E	E
Golden-winged Warbler	E

Mammals

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Sei Whale	E	E
Blue Whale	E	E
Fin Whale	E	E
North Atlantic Right Whale	E	E
Humpback Whale	E
Eastern Small-footed Bat	E
Little Brown Bat	E
Northern Long-eared Bat	E	T
Indiana Bat	E	E
Tricolored Bat	E
Sperm Whale	E	E

Amphibians:

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Blue-spotted Salamander	T
Marbled Salamander	T
Eastern Spadefoot	T

Reptiles

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Copperhead	E
Loggerhead Sea Turtle	T	T
Eastern Wormsnake	T
Green Sea Turtle	T	T
Timber Rattlesnake	E
Leatherback Sea Turtle	E	E
Blanding’s Turtle	T
Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle	E	E
Bog Turtle	E	T
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle	E	E
Northern Diamond-backed Terrapin	T
Eastern Ratsnake	E
Northern Red-bellied Cooter	E	E

Snails

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Boreal Marstonia	E
Slender Walker	E
Mossy Valvata	E

Mussels

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Dwarf Wedgemussel	E	E
Brook Floater	E
Yellow Lampmussel	E

Crustaceans

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Agassiz’s Clam Shrimp	E
Taconic Cave Amphipod	E

Dragonflies

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Subarctic Darner	E
Midland Clubtail	E
Skillet Clubtail	T
Riffle Snaketail	T
Harpoon Clubtail	E
Rapids Clubtail	E
Forcipate Emerald	E
Coppery Emerald	E
Incurvate Emerald	E
Kennedy’s Emerald	E
Riverine Clubtail	E
Ebony Boghaunter	E
Ringed Boghaunter	T

Damselflies

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Attenuated Bluet	T
Scarlet Bluet	T
Pine Barrens Bluet	T

Beetles

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle	E	T
Claybank Tiger Beetle	T
Cobblestone Tiger Beetle	E
Barrens Tiger Beetle	E
Puritan Tiger Beetle	E	T
Hentz’s Red-bellied Tiger Beetle	T
American Burying Beetle	E	E

Butterflies and Moths

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Barrens Dagger Moth	T
Phyllira Tiger Moth	E
New Jersey Tea Inchworm	E
Bog Elfin	T
Precious Underwing Moth	E
Melsheimer’s Sack-bearer	T
Collared Cycnia	T
The Pink-streak	T
Imperial Moth	T
Early Hairstreak	T
Persius Duskywing	E
Dion Skipper	T
Sandplain Heterocampa	T
Buchholz’s Gray	E
Twilight Moth	E
Woolly Gray	T
Barrens Metarranthis	E
Pitcher-plant Borer	T
Chain Fern Borer	T
Water-willow Stem Borer	T

Mustard White	T
Southern Ptichodis	T
Faded Gray Geometer	T

Bees

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Walsh’s Anthophora	E
American Bumble Bee	E
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee	T

Plants

Common Name	MA Status	Fed Status
Black Cohosh	E
Sandplain Gerardia	E	E
Purple Giant Hyssop	E
Lesser Snakeroot	E
Small-flowered Agrimony	E
Downy Agrimony	T
Bartram’s Shadbush	T
Annual Peanutgrass	E
Putty-root	E
Lyre-leaved Rock-cress	E
Arethusa	T
Green Dragon	T
Purple Needlegrass	T
Seabeach Needlegrass	T
Purple Milkweed	E
Whorled Milkweed	T
Mountain Spleenwort	E
Wall-rue Spleenwort	T
Swamp Birch	E
Eaton’s Beggar-ticks	E
Estuary Beggar-ticks	E
Downy Wood-mint	E
Hairy Wood-mint	E
Green Rock-cress	T
Pickering’s Reedgrass	E
New England Northern Reed Grass	E
Upright Bindweed	E
Fen Cuckoo-flower	T
Purple Cress	E
Long’s Bittercress	E
Foxtail Sedge	T
Back’s Sedge	E
Bailey’s Sedge	T
Bush’s Sedge	E
Chestnut-colored Sedge	E
Creeping Sedge	E
Davis’ Sedge	E
Handsome Sedge	T
Glaucescent Sedge	E
Slender Woodland Sedge	E
Gray’s Sedge	T
Shore Sedge	T
Livid Sedge	E
False Hop Sedge	E
Midland Sedge	E
Michaux’s Sedge	E
Mitchell’s Sedge	T
Rich Woods Sedge	T
Few-seeded Sedge	E
Few-flowered Sedge	E
Variable Sedge	E
Schweinitz’s Sedge	E
Squarrose Sedge	T
Dioecious Sedge	T
Walter’s Sedge	E
Tuckerman’s Sedge	E
Cat-tail Sedge	T
American Bittersweet	T
Nodding Chickweed	E
Devil’s-bit	E
Fogg’s Goosefoot	E
Narrow-leaved Spring-beauty	E
Long-leaved Panic-grass	T
Shore Pygmy-weed	T
Bicknell’s Hawthorn	E
Appalachian Bristle-fern	E
Fragile Rock-brake	E
Northern Wild Comfrey	E
Engelmann’s Flatsedge	T
Houghton’s Flatsedge	E
Ram’s Head Lady’s-slipper	E
Yellow Lady’s-slipper	E
Showy Lady’s-slipper	E
Tussock Hairgrass	E
Large-bracted Tick-trefoil	T
Mattamuskeet Rosette-grass	E
Rough Rosette-grass	T
Cornel-leaved Aster	E
American Waterwort	E
Wright’s Spike-sedge	E
Matted Spike-sedge	T
Tiny-fruited Spike-sedge	E
Ovate Spike-sedge	E
Few-flowered Spike-sedge	E
Three-angled Spike-sedge	E
Hairy Wild Rye	E
Parker’s Pipewort	E
Slender Cottongrass	T
New England Boneset	E
Northern Bedstraw	E
Labrador Bedstraw	T
Purple Cudweed	E
Andrews’ Bottle Gentian	E
Dwarf Rattlesnake-plantain	E
Spurred Gentian	E
Long-leaved Bluet	E
Appalachian Firmoss	E
Mountain Firmoss	E
Golden Seal	E
Saltpond Pennywort	T
Broad Waterleaf	E
Creeping St. John’s-wort	T
Giant St. John’s-wort	E
St. Andrew’s Cross	E
Big-leaved Holly	E
Acadian Quillwort	E
Lake Quillwort	E
Small Whorled Pogonia	E	T
Two-flowered Rush	T
Weak Rush	E
Thread Rush	E
Beaded Pinweed	E
Saltpond Grass	T
Sea Lyme-grass	E
Stiff Yellow Flax	T
Lily-leaf Twayblade	T
Dwarf Bulrush	T
Great Blue Lobelia	E
Hairy Honeysuckle	E
Many-fruited Seedbox	E
Round-fruited Seedbox	E
Black-fruited Woodrush	E
Foxtail Clubmoss	E
Taperleaf Water-horehound	E
Sweet Bay	E
Bayard’s Adder’s-mouth	E
White Adder’s-mouth	E
Green Adder’s-mouth	T
Oysterleaf	E
Woodland Millet	T
Winged Monkey-flower	E
Muskflower	T
Michaux’s Sandwort	T
Large-leaved Sandwort	E
Red Mulberry	E
Slender Water-milfoil	E
Farwell’s Water-milfoil	E
Whorled Water-milfoil	E
Lion’s Foot	E
Southern Twayblade	T
Heartleaf Twayblade	E
Tiny Cow-lily	E
Upland White Goldenrod	E
Adder’s Tongue Fern	T
Eastern Prickly Pear	E
Golden Club	E
Violet Wood-sorrel	E
Silverling	E
Swamp Lousewort	E
Hairy Beard-tongue	E
Swamp Smartweed	T
Sweet Coltsfoot	E
Crested Fringed Orchid	E
Leafy White Orchid	T
Pale Green Orchid	T
Drooping Speargrass	E
Braun’s Holly-fern	E
Swamp Cottonwood	E
Tuckerman’s Pondweed	T
Fries’ Pondweed	E
Ogden’s Pondweed	E
Straight-leaved Pondweed	E
Vasey’s Pondweed	E
Sandbar Cherry	T
Pink Pyrola	E
Yellow Oak	T
Small-flowered Buttercup	E
Maryland Meadow-beauty	E
Great Laurel	T
Capillary Beaksedge	E
Inundated Beaksedge	T
Short-beaked Beaksedge	T
Torrey’s Beaksedge	E
Northern Prickly Rose	E
Toothcup	E
Seabeach Dock	T
Swamp Dock	T
Slender Marsh Pink	E
Sea Pink	E
Wapato	T
Estuary Arrowhead	E
Sandbar Willow	T
Canadian Sanicle	T
Clustered Sanicle	T
Pod-grass	E
American Chaffseed	E	E
Northeastern Bulrush	E	E
Long’s Bulrush	E
Papillose Nut-sedge	E
Tall Nut-sedge	E
One-flower Sclerolepis	E
Wild Senna	E
Slender Blue-Eyed Grass	E
Rand’s Goldenrod	E
Northern Mountain-ash	E
Small Bur-reed	E
Salt Reedgrass	T
Shining Wedgegrass	T
Swamp Oats	T
Hooded Ladies’-tresses	E
Grass-leaved Ladies’-tresses	T
Small Dropseed	E
Snowberry	E
Eastern Silvery Aster	E
Tradescant’s Aster	T
Arborvitae	E
Cranefly Orchid	E
False Pennyroyal	E
Broad Tinker’s-weed	E
Nodding Pogonia	E
Northern Gama-grass	E
Narrow False Oats	E
Resupinate Bladderwort	T
Mountain Cranberry	E
Narrow-leaved Vervain	E
Sessile Water-speedwell	E
Culver’s-root	T
Downy Arrow-wood	E
Britton’s Violet	T

WWLP Video