There are movements afoot in Canada to select a National Bird as part of the Canada celebrations for its 150th year of existence in 2017. Currently we have the maple as our official tree and for better or worse, the beaver as our official mammal.  So why not an official bird? Many countries have one, the U.S. with its bald eagle being a prime example. And they take a lot of national pride in their bird. I strongly believe that we should choose the Canada Jay (also known as Gray Jay or Whiskey Jack).

 

   IN NO ORDER OF IMPORTANCE,
   HERE ARE NO LESS THAN 18 COMPELLING REASONS WHY IT WOULD BE A GREAT CHOICE:

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1. Found in all thirteen provinces and territories;
    

2. A member of the jay and crow family, arguably the smartest birds on the planet.
    

3. Not an official bird species for any of the ten provinces and recognized territories, nor any other country;
    

4. Very hardy, like all Canadians, having highly adapted to living in very cold regions and nesting in temperatures of -30 C;
    

5. A year-round resident, i.e. not a “snowbird” like the Common Loon!
    

6. A bird with strong cultural significance for many of Canada's First Nations. The widely used name, "whisky-jack," is derived from one of the Canada Jay's names in the Algonquian family of languages, quite likely 'wiskicahk', one of the words used in Cree. "Whiskyjack" is one ofvery few English vernacular names for a Canadian bird species borrowed from an indigenous language, and the only one in common use today;
    

7. The first bird, and perhaps the only bird, to greet thousands of explorers, fur trappers, prospectors, settlers, and First nations folk, around their campfires in the dead of chilly Canadian winters;
    

8. Not an endangered species, and thus not at a serious risk of disappearing;
    

9. A bird that figures prominently in the boreal forest ecological zone, constituting a vast and distinctive portion of our country;
    

10. Not a hunted species, so not shot by Canadians;
     

11. Like all Canadians, extremely friendly toward humans and conspicuous residents of our national and provincial Parks from coast to coast;
     

12. A species that could not have a better name for the national bird, as it is now, once again, officially called the Canada Jay in English (and "mesangeai du Canada" in French);
     

13. Not regarded as an obnoxious or nuisance species;
     

14. Not likely to be confused with any other bird species;
     

15. Not a circumpolar species, i.e. not found in other northern countries (as is the Snowy Owl);
     

16. Not flamboyantly coloured and so easily reproducible in logo format;
     

17. Not a common backyard feeder bird and thus, will hopefully force Canadians to get out into nature and to enjoy and appreciate our extensive boreal forests and our great parks, and at the same time, improving one's health and well-being;
     

18. The official logo bird of the historic International Ornithological Congress in Ottawa in 1986; it was ""the most Canadian bird" they could find

 

In short, I cannot think of a more Canadian bird!

 

While many Canadians do not see this bird in their backyard every day, many states and provinces as well as other countries have official birds that the public does not see on a regular basis and may in fact never see them as a live wild bird.  The fact is that once the Canada Jay is chosen, we can promote the bird so that Canadians make an effort to visit our boreal forests to become very familiar with it and indeed, be proud of it as our National Bird.

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OTHER COMMENTS

A few years ago, a raptor organization called The Canadian Raptor Conservancy (CRC) in Ontario started promoting a national bird for Canada, but they have been doing it mostly by using an internet vote.  I worry about their process because there are species on their list of candidates which would be a disastrous choice. For instance, the Canada Goose is an obnoxious bird much hated in the U.S., U.K. and even in our own country to the point of being regularly culled. Two other leading species are already recognized as provincial birds. Another leading candidate in the CRC poll, the Red-Tailed Hawk, is even more common in the U.S. than in Canada, so it is not very distinctive. Fortunately, the Canada Jay was one of the candidates in their poll.

 

Well over a year and a half ago, the Canadian Geographic Society (CGS) initiated a similar online survey, a much more serious effort, for the general public to weigh in on this matter.  Forty candidates were nominated, including the Canada Jay.  When the contest ended in late August, the front-runner was the Common Loon with 13,995 votes followed by the Snowy Owl (8948).   In solid third place was the Canada Jay with 7918 votes! It is noteworthy that both the Common Loon and Snowy Owl are already established as the official birds of the two most highly populated provinces in the country, i.e. Ontario and Quebec, respectively.  The former bird has also been honoured on our dollar coin.

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The Canada Jay was actually known as the Canada Jay for over 200 years, but in 1957, the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist Committee wrangled over subspecies issues with this bird and “accidentally” decided to rename it as one species --- the Gray Jay.   Gray Jay experts in Canada and the U.S. are currently undertaking research and investigating the possibility of restoring its original name; after all, the vast majority of its range is within Canada. In any case, what would prevent Canadians from adopting its old well-known name, should it get awarded “official bird” status for our country?!  

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While I do believe that the poll run by the CGS was very effective in initiating dialogue about choosing a national bird for our country, I am personally happy to see this being followed up by some intelligent discussion and debate among Canadian ornithologists about such an important matter as opposed to just having a winner chosen from a popularity contest. For example, Canada’s flag was not chosen by means of a public contest, but by an appointed committee. Nor did we simply adopt one of the provincial flags from our two largest provinces --- we chose something “fresh and new” for ALL Canadians! Our Canadian flag with its red-and-white maple leaf design is now something that Canadians look upon with great national pride.

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I am seeking help from all quarters to facilitate the selection of the Canada Jay as Canada’s National Bird.   Not only is it a fresh, new choice, it is a very prominent bird in our boreal forests and I call upon all Canadians to support this cause and pass around the word!   To see how delightful these birds are, take a peek at a recently produced YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_V3VMIxTuU

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While the CGS poll will not ultimately determine our National Bird, it did indeed succeed in stimulating much intelligent debate, which has now has led to a press-covered panel discussion open to the public being held at the Museum of Man and Nature in Ottawa at 1900 on Monday, September 19, 2016. This event, featuring the five finalist birds each championed by well-known Canadians will certainly serve as a sounding board to our federal government, especially in terms of the final selection of a bird and hopefully presenting it to Canadians during Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2017.

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Let us hope that the Canada Jay is that bird!