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History & Highlights Chicago Illinois Field Office |
Federal Threatened & Endangered Species
in the Chicago Region
Urbanization and associated land uses, invasive species, and other disturbances have caused habitat loss and contributed to population declines of many species of plants and animals in northeastern Illinois.
Ten federally listed endangered, threatened, or candidate species occur, or have historically occurred in Northeastern Illinois. One unit of critical habitat for the piping plover occurs in our area.
The public has shown great interest in learning more about listed species in our area. Below is a list that will link you to "Species Spotlights" for the federally listed and candidate species in the Chicago Region. These "spotlights" tell a bit about various activities to recover these species locally and links to other web pages.
Plants
Eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea), Threatened
Lakeside daisy (Hymenoxys acaulis var. glabra), Threatened
Leafy prairie clover (Dalea foliosa), Endangered
Mead's milkweed (Asclepias meadii), Threatened
Prairie bush clover (Lespideza leptostachya), Threatened
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcherii), Threatened
Animals
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Recovered/De-Listed
Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis), Endangered
Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Endangered
Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), Endangered
Eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus), Candidate
Piping plover (Charadrius melodus), Endangered/Designated Critical Habitat
Other listed Species in Region 3: For other information, such as recovery plans and fact sheets, for listed species occurring elsewhere in the Midwest (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 3) see the list entitled "Endangered, Threatened, Proposed, and Candidate Species in Region 3 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service".
