You can help with this effort to establish the Canada Jay as our official bird!
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
There was a lot of interest locally in the recent voting for Calgary’s Official Bird, which was won by the Black-capped Chickadee. But as of today, Canada does not have an official National Bird. There is a strong movement, spearheaded by Dr. David Bird, to name the Canada Jay as our national avain representative. Dr. Bird and his team make a strong case.
Photo by Kent Ladell, SW Alberta.
Here is the printing release that details the reasons for supporting this effort.
CANADIAN ORNITHOLOGISTS CALL ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR A NATIONAL BIRD!!
On June 9, 2022, a reprinting of a promotional typesetting entitled The Canada Jay as Canadas National Bird? has been given to each and every one of Canadas 338 federal Members of Parliament, including The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, and The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Transpiration Canada. The prime message in the classy-looking colourful typesetting of 80 pages is to encourage the federal government to take steps to adopt a National Bird for Canada, and hopefully to take it a step remoter — to make that bird the Canada Jay!
Why does Canada plane need a National Bird, you may well ask? One in five Canadians spends an stereotype a third of their year watching, feeding, and/or photographing birds, representing big bucks for our economy! Birds moreover eat pests, pollinate our plants and crops, disperse seeds; their eggs and meat (yes, chickens are birds!) feed us and their feathers alimony us warm. Birds save human lives by globally warning us of environmental health hazards such as carcinogenic pesticides and industrial by-products. As for their intrinsic value, how many unconfined writers, artists, mucosa makers, and plane aviators and astronauts have been inspired by the beauty, the song and the flight of these wondrous unique creatures?! Wikipedias List of National Birds indicates that 106 of the worlds 195 countries have official birds. For example, the U.S. takes a lot of national pride in their National Bird — the Bald Eagle. But Canada is not in the list — we do not have one! Yet our country does have national symbols the beaver, the maple tree, two sports and plane a national horse! But alas — no official bird.
For a National Bird for Canada, one could not find a increasingly Canadian bird than the aptly named Canada Jay! This very smart corvid breeds in every province and territory and its range scrutinizingly mirrors our countrys borders. It is extremely friendly, often landing on an outstretched palm and it is extremely hardy – often incubating eggs at -20 degrees C, resides year-round in our country, and is found in all provinces! Its French name is le mésangeai du Canada and its popular name, whiskyjack, is derived from one of the largest ethnic language groups in Canada. Canada Jays have played a prominent role in both Ethnic culture and our countrys history. Importantly, unlike the Common Loon (Ontario) and the Snowy Owl (Quebec), Canada Jays are not the bird of any province!
___________________________________________________________
The Typesetting Canada Jay, The The National Bird of Canada? can be ordered at Amazon.ca here. It will be published on July 1 (Canada Day!) but you can pre-order it now. All profits from its sales are going to non-profit bird conservation organizations.
More information on this effort can be found on the website CanadaJay.org. There is moreover a petition on Change.org that you can sign here. They have once surpassed the goal of 15,000 signatures, and now are trying to reach 25,000.
The post Should the Canada Jay be Named our Country’s Official Bird? appeared first on Birds Calgary.
