Calgarians could soon vote for Calgary's official bird

Calgarians hope to vote for official bird A Calgary councillor wants the city to vote for an official bird. Virginia Wright reports

Calgarians could soon be able to choose what the city's official bird will be.

Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner brought forward a notice of motion on Tuesday that proposed council designate an official bird – and it be left to citizens to decide which one.

Penner's notice of motion comes after Calgary was named a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada last year, one of four across the nation.

To obtain the designation, a city must meet several targets including reducing human-related threats to birds, habitat protection, restoration and climate resiliency, and thirdly, community outreach and education. Another requirement is that an official bird must be chosen.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about the biodiversity in our city," Penner said as she introduced the motion.

After consulting with local Indigenous groups and nature organizations, a volunteer group called Bird Friendly Calgary created a list of five birds for Calgarians to choose from: the black-capped chickadee, black-billed magpie, northern flicker, red-breasted nuthatch and blue jay.

"Regrettably, I must note that Turk (Calgary's infamous urban turkey, may he rest in peace) didn't make the list … And no Canada Geese, who used to torment people outside city hall, I've been told," Penner joked.

Penner's notice of motion was approved by a vote of 13 to 1, with only Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu voting against.

It will now go to a March 29 meeting of council for a final vote.

If approved, Calgarians will be able to vote for one of the five feathered candidates online from April 1 to May 1.

The winning bird would be announced on May 14 to coincide with World Migratory Bird Day, before council would make it official during a combined meeting of council in June.

According to Nature Canada’s website, over the past five decades, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25 per cent. Taking a closer look, that is about three billion birds – many of which live among humans – that are gone.