An umbrella species is usually an endangered or threatened species that has been selected for making conservation efforts because protecting it also protects a large area of habitat and the many other species that live there.
Umbrella species are often relatively large-bodied and wide-ranging higher vertebrates that are charismatic and thus will attract public support for their habitat conservation. An umbrella species is often also a keystone species, which is a species of major importance for maintaining an ecosystem, or a flagship species, which is a large mammal or other charismatic but endangered species that is acts as an ambassador or symbol for protection of a habitat or for another cause.
An example of an umbrella species is the giant panda, a flagship species that requires large areas of bamboo forests in southwest China for its survival. This habitat is unparalleled among temperate climates for biodiversity and rivals that of tropical ecosystems.
Another example is the also endangered Amur tiger, a carnivorous apex predator, that has a greatly reduced habitat but still survives across a vast area of largely heavily forested temperate and boreal biomes in Russia’s far east and extending into China and North Korea. Another umbrella species is the also endangered northern spotted owl of the U.S. Northwest, likewise an apex predator, which requires large areas of primarily old-growth forest with a diverse forest ecosystem.