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Provincial Birds of CANADA
..... and how to find them. Interestingly, Canadian provincial birds are quite different fromthose proclaimed by the Unites States. There are no US state birdsthat are Sea-birds, Raptors, or Corvids (jays and crows). Buteight of the twelve Canadian emblematic birds are from these Crotchless Lace Red Thong groups! Canada chose its Provincial birds much more recently than did theUS states, so the choices reflect a more modern attitude about birds.Many years ago, Americans chose pretty garden songsters as theirstate birds, at a time when raptors and corvids were thought of asbeing destructive nuisances, rather than important links in the naturalecology of the region.[ GO TO a guide to the USAstate birds ]Code letters are used to help you find the birds:C = Easy to see and recognize from a moving CARF = Common around winter FEEDERSH = Easier to find if you HEAR them firstW/S = Mainly found in WINTER/SUMMERT = Also commonly found in TOWNS* = Not officially proclaimed by law as Provincial Bird[ ] ALBERTA ::: Great Horned Owl. - C H T -The Great Horned Owl is quite nocturnal, but doesn't mind sitting outin a conspicuous place when there's still enough light to see it.Perched on a utility pole or bare branch, it can look like a big tom-cat,with its ear-tufts. At night, the male and female can be heard callingto each other, on different pitches, with dove-like coos.[ ] BRITISH COLUMBIA (Two birds claim this sumbolic honour) ::: Stellar's Jay. * - C F -The Cash Boyshorts tame, noisy, Steller's Jay is the only uniform-colored jay,and canlook all black, except in good light, where its midnight blue color shows.Watch for an all dark crested bird with straight, direct flight Cute Little Black Thong , andwingflaps that you can count---but smaller and more streamlined than acrow. ::: Varied Thrush. * - H S -The Varied Thrush resembles a Robin with extra splashes of orange. In thedense forests, you will hear the eerie sound of this bird, which soundslike two different people playing short varied notes on a flute.A wary bird, they can be seen on quiet roads and paths at dawn or dusk.[ ] MANITOBA ::: Great Gray Owl. - C W -This all-dark, top-heavy-looking owl is our largest. Seen only in winter,and then quite rare, but conspicuous when present, perching tamely on anyhigh vantage point. They don't mind daylight, for it never gets darkduring summer in their arctic habitat. It lacks the ear-tufts of themore common Great Horned Owl.[ ] NEW BRUNSWICK ::: Black-capped Chickadee. *(see Maine on USA link above)[ ] NEWFOUNDLAND ::: Atlantic Puffin. * - S -Up close, the Puffin has the comical look of a Penguin with a shortToucan bill, but in flight at a distance, they are hard to distinguishfromthe more common Murre (called Turre in Nfld.). Usually concentrated intheir breeding colonies, on off-shore rocks, but in winter they remain farout to sea.[ ] NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ::: Gyrfalcon. - W -Gyrfalcons are more common in the new Nunavut Territory, where they arewhite. In the NWT. the dark phase breeds on the northern coasts, but somewander south in winter. Falcons are raptors with long straight tails andpointed, elbowed wings, and the Gyrfalcon is an uncommon one.[ ] NOVA SCOTIA ::: Osprey. * - C S -Watch for a white-bottomed raptor with conspicuous black patches on thewing-tips and elbows, and a black facial mask. These fish-eaters arealways near water, sometimes hovering and diving. You may see their hugebasket-like nests conspicuously atop structures near the water. Thisbird is pictured on the back of the Canadian ten-dollar bill.[ ] NUNAVUT ::: (None designated)Nunavut, the new territory in the eastern Arctic, might assume thesymbolic bird of NWT, since the Gyrfalcon is more typical of Nunavut.[ ] ONTARIO ::: Common Loon. * - S -(See Minnesota on the USA link above) This bird is pictured on the Canadian one-dollar coin.[ ] PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ::: Blue Jay. * - C F T -The easily recognized Blue Jay is a year-round resident of PEI, where itcommonly eats from winter feeders. Usually found in noisy flocks, theyfly from one tree to another in a very straight, direct flight, a few ata time. Blue jays making a real fuss may indicate an Owl is nearby.[ ] QUEBEC ::: Snowy Owl. - C W -A very conspicuous bird, all white, two feet tall, sitting out in theopen on flat ground or on a pole. A quite tame bird that loves openspaces, and doesn't mind daylight. Most years, there are only a fewaround, but in years when their arctic food supply runs low, there arequite a few on frozen lakes or airports. This bird is pictured on theback of the Canadian fifty-dollar bill.[ ] SASKATCHEWAN ::: Sharp-tailed Grouse. - C -This grouse diifers from the female Pheasant by it's shorter tail. Twowoodland grouse species occur in north and central Saskatchewan, so watchfor the Sharp-tailed along roadsides in open prairies.[ ] YUKON ::: Common Raven. - C H T -The raven looks like a crow, and there are no crows this far north. Theraven is our most northerly bird, able to withstand winters wherever itcanfind food. In some northern Christmas Bird Counts, it is the only speciesrecorded. In summer, they are common on roads, eating road kill.
Lingerie Crotchless Lace Red Thong
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