California Species of Special Concern

Note: the following text is England|Ecology’s standard legal text used for biological reports. The primary purpose of this text’s existence on this website is to provide a landing page for hyperlinks in footnotes in smaller documents, where there may not be adequate space for explanations of the laws and policies that underpin the report.

Species of Special Concern (SSC) is an informal designation used by the CDFW for some declining wildlife species that are not officially listed as endangered, threatened, or rare. This designation does not provide legal protection, but signifies that these species are recognized as vulnerable by the CDFW.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is a Species of Special Concern. Photo by Marcus C. England of England|Ecology.