Bird Friendly Calgary
In 2021, Calgary became one of Canada’s first certified Nature Canada Bird Friendly Cities, along with Vancouver, Toronto and London. In November 2023, Calgary was recertified and upgraded from Entry to Intermediate level.
Bird Friendly Certification aims to highlight and mitigate threats that have contributed to the loss of an estimated 3 billion birds on the landscape over the last 50 years.
Kaya
What Makes a Bird Friendly City
Nature Canada with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada looked at the top threats facing birds in the urban environment and created a rubric to score cities in different areas. See below for more information on what is involved and where Calgary stands.
Found a window strike victim?
Contrary to previous beliefs, birds that strike windows are not okay after a brief period of quiet. While a variety of injuries can result from hitting glass, the most likely is head trauma and just like a human concussion patient, immediate treatment is key to recovery.
Please move any victims to a quiet, safe space (a cardboard box or paper bag is perfect) and contact either Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (403-214-1312) or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (403-946-2361) for support in getting the bird the medical treatment they need.
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Once the bird is safe please fill out a public window strike form by following the link below or scanning the QR code to help us better understand the scope of window strikes in Calgary and surrounding areas.
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Habitat protection, restoration and climate resiliency
Community outreach and education
S. Jordan-McLachlan
HOW YOU CAN HELP
There are many small actions that you can take to become more bird friendly!
To find out about events coming up in Calgary relating to birds and nature see here!
Track Bird Migration
Did you know weather radars can be used to track bird migration?! While public tracking is not yet available in Canada, by looking at trends in the US, we can get an idea of when migration will be heaviest in our area. Check out BirdCast to see when birds are on the move!
