Vote for Edmonton's official city bird!
Part of the Bird Friendly Edmonton initiative supported by the City of Edmonton .
All members of the public, of any age, are invited to cast one vote per person to help choose Edmonton's City Bird. The voting link is at the bottom of the page.
The Bird Friendly Team consulted hundreds of local naturalists to create a list of five birds to choose from. These birds are all found in many Edmonton neighbourhoods and natural areas.
Part of the Bird Friendly Edmonton initiative supported by the City of Edmonton .
All members of the public, of any age, are invited to cast one vote per person to help choose Edmonton's City Bird. The voting link is at the bottom of the page.
The Bird Friendly Team consulted hundreds of local naturalists to create a list of five birds to choose from. These birds are all found in many Edmonton neighbourhoods and natural areas.
In alphabetical order the candidates are:
The Blue Jay
This common bird is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, gray, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems, and have tight family bonds. They are residents of Edmonton year-round. The birds lower their crests when they are feeding peacefully with family. They use a very wide variety of vocalizations to communicate. Blue Jays are also excellent mimics and may scare off other birds with a hawk call, or by meowing like a cat. The black markings across the face, nape, and throat vary extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another. The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is actually brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feathers Photo - Ethan Denton |
The Ghost Magpie
These birds are Black-billed Magpies that, through a genetic mutation, exhibit imperfect albinism. The amount of black pigmentation is much lower than in normal Black-billed Magpies, giving their feathers a distinct white-grey colouring. Surprisingly, their eyes are pale blue. They have all the personality of a regular Black-billed Magpie and may be found in our city in all seasons. Royal Alberta Museum ornithologist Jocelyn Hudon says the phenomenon is highly unusual. “They’ve been seen outside of Edmonton, the odd record of one in Calgary or Red Deer, or even way in the north or Saskatchewan. But there’s more in Edmonton than anywhere else.” The prevalence of the pale coloured birds in Edmonton likely traces back to a single magpie that displayed the mutation many years ago. Over time, more birds have taken on the distinct quality or have carried the mutation. Photo - Don Delaney |
The Pileated Woodpecker
This very large woodpecker is mostly black with white stripes on the face and neck and a flaming-red crest. Males have a red “moustache” stripe. In flight, the bird reveals its white underwings. You may hear them drumming or calling as they announce their territory. An exciting bird to view. Throughout the year, in Edmonton’s natural areas and older neighbourhoods, these birds forage for food in large, dead trees, stumps, or logs lying on the forest floor. They make very noticeable rectangular excavations to feed on carpenter ants and other wood boring insects. A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers will spend weeks chipping away at a dead tree to excavate a nest cavity where they raise their young. The cavity may be used in following years by owls, tree-nesting ducks or smaller songbirds. Photo - Ann Carter |
The Red-breasted Nuthatch
A little bundle of energy, these small, resident birds often travel with chickadees and make excited, nasal sounding, "yank-yank" calls. They move quickly, often downward on tree trunks, while searching the bark for hidden insects. The nuthatch may be seen around coniferous trees. In fall and winter, when insects are difficult to find, they eat conifer seeds, including seeds they cached earlier in the year. The birds may be more numerous in Edmonton when cone crops are abundant. Look for them creeping down a tree or darting through the bundle of cones on a tree top. The Red-breasted Nuthatch chips out a nest hole in a tree, collects resin from coniferous trees and plasters it around the entrance. The sticky substance may help to keep out unwanted visitors. The nuthatch avoids the resin by diving directly through the hole. Photo - Wayne Oakes |
The Waxwing
Edmonton hosts two seasonal waxwing species. Both have a sleek, silky appearance, yellow tips on the tail, a small crest and face mask. Red, waxy tips on some wing feathers are coloured by pigments found in the fruit waxwings eat. As the birds get older, the waxy tips get bigger. High-pitched trills announce the large flocks which swirl through Edmonton neighbourhoods. In spring, Cedar Waxwings (photo link) arrive to pair up, nest and raise their young here. They feed on airborne insects as well as fruit of trees and shrubs like dogwood and chokecherry. Most Cedar Waxwing flocks migrate south for the winter although a few may stay in our city. During the fall, Bohemian Waxwings arrive from northern Alberta and beyond, replacing the Cedar species. Some years they are present in flocks of thousands, descending on berry trees, especially mountain ash, to pick them clean. They return north in the spring. Rusty under-tail colour and white wing markings are specific to the Bohemian Waxwing species (shown on this page). Bohemian Waxwing and Cedar Waxwing photos - Gerald Romanchuk |
CLICK HERE TO VOTE!
Source: allaboutbirds.org where you can search for additional information on the bird that interests you.