Birds of Canada

Canada is home to over 700 species of birds. The country is famous for its migratory birds, like Canadian Geese, which reside during the warmer months before flying south during the winter. Other common birds often seen in the nation include the Common Raven, the Gray Jay, and the Snowy Owl.

List of Common Birds Found in Canada

Birds of Prey

• American Kestrel
• Bald Eagle
• Barred Owl
• Black Vulture
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Ferruginous Hawk
• Great Gray Owl
• Great Horned Owl
• Gyrfalcon
• Merlin
• Northern Harrier
• Osprey
• Peregrine Falcon
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Turkey Vulture

Migratory Birds

• American Black Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Canada Goose
• Green-winged Teal
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Snow Goose
• Tundra Swan
• Wood Duck

Backyard Birds

• American Crow
• American Dipper
• American Goldfinch
• American Robin
• Black-billed Magpie
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Black-capped Vireo
• Blue Jay
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• European Starling
• House Finch
• House Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Rock Pigeon
• Song Sparrow
• White-breasted Nuthatch

Waterbirds

• American Coot
• American White Pelican
• Atlantic Puffin
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Bufflehead
• Common Loon
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Glaucous-winged Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Cormorant
• Least Sandpiper
• Red-necked Grebe
• Ring-billed Gull
• Wood Stork

Forest Birds

• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• Chipping Sparrow
• Common Grackle
• Common Raven
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Hermit Thrush
• House Wren
• Mountain Bluebird
• Ovenbird
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Pine Grosbeak
• Pine Siskin
• Red-billed Woodpecker
• Rock Ptarmigan
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Ruffed Grouse
• Rufous Hummingbird
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Spotted Towhee
• Stellar’s Jay
• White-crowned Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Winter Birds

• Bohemian Waxwing
• Common Goldeneye
• Common Redpoll
• Evening Grosbeak
• Gray Jay
• Pine Siskin
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Snow Bunting
• Snowy Owl
• White-winged Crossbill

Provincial Birds of Canada

Canada does not have an official national bird. Instead, each of the territories and provinces has its provincial bird.

• Alberta – Great Horned Owl
• British Columbia – Steller’s Jay
• Manitoba – Great Gray Owl
• New Brunswick – Black-capped Chickadee
• Newfoundland and Labrador – Atlantic Puffin
• Northwest Territories – Gyrfalcon
• Nova Scotia – Osprey
• Nunavut – Rock Ptarmigan
• Ontario – Common Loon
• Prince Edward Island – Blue Jay
• Quebec – Snowy Owl
• Saskatchewan – Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Yukon Territory – Common Raven

Birds by Size

Largest Birds

By Length	By Weight	By Wingspan
1. Trumpeter Swan (72 inches)	1. Trumpeter Swan (26 lbs)	1. American White Pelican (9.8 ft)
2. American White Pelican (63 inches)	2. Wild Turkey, American White Pelican (24 lbs)	2. Trumpeter Swan (8.2 ft)
3. Mute Swan (62 inches)	3. Whooping Crane (15 lbs)	3. Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle (7.5 ft)
4. Whooping Crane, Great Blue Heron (52 inches)	4. Bald Eagle, Canada Goose (14 lbs)	4. Sandhill Crane, Brown Pelican (6.9 ft)
5. Brown Pelican (50 inches)	5. Sandhill Crane (13 lbs)	5. Great Blue Heron (6.6 ft)

Smallest Birds

By Length	By Weight	By Wingspan
1. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2.7 inches)	1. Calliope Hummingbird (0.07 oz)	1. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (3.1 inches)
2. Calliope Hummingbird (3 inches)	2. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (0.09 oz)	2. Calliope Hummingbird (4.3 inches)
3. Golden-crowned Kinglet (3.1 inches)	3. Yellow Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet (0.2 oz)	3. Yellow Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Least Flycatcher (6.3 inches)

Common Canadian Birds by Color

Blue Birds

• Blue Jay
• Indigo Bunting
• Lazuli Bunting
• Mountain Bluebird
• Western Bluebird

Black Birds

• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Common Raven
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Rusty Blackbird

Yellow Birds

• American Goldfinch
• Wilson’s Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Yellow Warbler

Green Birds

• Green Heron
• Green-winged Teal
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Red Birds

• Northern Cardinal
• Red Crossbill
• Scarlet Tanager

White Birds

• Great Egret
• Snow Goose
• Snowy Owl
• Tundra Swan

Orange Birds

• Baltimore Oriole
• Bullock’s Oriole

Gray Birds

• Common Loon
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Jay

Brown Birds

• American Robin
• Brown Creeper
• Brown Thrasher
• Song Sparrow

While there are many places one can go birdwatching in Canada, the most famous site is Point Pelee National Park, where songbirds can be seen migrating from late April to early June.