Motion aims to name official bird for Calgary

They grace us with their beautiful songs, colourful plumage, and sometimes inconvenient waste on our cars and statues, but soon enough the city could possibly select an official bird to represent Calgary.

It may be hard to believe Calgary does not have an official bird given all the greenspace we pride ourselves on, such as the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, but a notice of motion that will be discussed at city hall could help finally bring closure to that void.

With the help of local groups including Bird Friendly Calgary, Councillor Kourtney Penner is bringing forward the motion which has selected five candidates which would be voted on between April and May.

Those candidates are: the blue jay, the red-breasted nuthatch, the black-capped chickadee, the northern flicker and the black-billed magpie.

Ward 11 Councillor @kourtpenner will bring forward a notice of motion tomorrow for Calgary to select an Official City Bird. In your opinion, what bird should that be?

— Josh Ritchie (@JoshGRitchie) March 14, 2022

Penner agrees that one bird on the shortlist may have a bit of an infamous reputation, but they’ve put a lot of thought into it.

“Magpies are incredibly smart birds,” Penner says in their defence. “While my children affectionately refer to them as bully birds, they are actually also very good at keeping our city clean.”

There’s a wider goal at play here as well, as last year Calgary was recognized as one of Canada’s first certified Nature Canada Bird Friendly Cities. This campaign can build on it by expanding knowledge and appreciation for our environment.

“What we’re really trying to drive is the conversation around the importance of integrating urban wildlife into the city and talking about having a healthy ecological habitat,” Penner said. “It’s really important for Calgary to recognize we do have a very biodiverse neighbourhood that we have in our backyards.”

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The city is home to over 200 different bird species, and the BiodiverCity Advisory Committee is working to encourage a healthy relationship between us and our feathered friends.

If the motion is approved and all goes well, a winner will be named on May 14, which is World Migratory Bird Day. Then, the city would recognize the winning bird as an official symbol on June 7.

Penner expects this to be a hotly contested vote, and not only because of the inclusion of the magpie.

“We are a bird enthusiastic city!”