'It should be in California, Arizona, or Nevada': Unique bird makes its way to Saskatoon
With many birds choosing to fly south and get out of the cold for the winter there’s one visitor that may have taken a wrong turn and he’s currently bunking in at Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation in Saskatoon.
When inside the bird rehabilitation room, you can hear the unique sound of the Costa’s hummingbird flapping its wings. That’s the bird that was discovered by a Saskatoon man when it was feeding at a bird feeder in his yard.
According to Jan Shadick, the director at Living Sky, the male bird is shrouded behind a curtain limiting stress for the tiny creature. It’s not from anywhere around here, in fact, it’s from a totally different part of the continent. It hails from a much warmer climate near the U.S.-Mexican border.
“It should be in California, Arizona, or Nevada. It should not be in Saskatchewan,” Shadick told CTV News.
The bird, which measures less than 10 centimetres was a thrilling but perplexing acquisition, according to the staff at the centre.
The creature was discovered in October, which is very late for any type of Hummingbird to stick around here, according to Shadick who says, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is common here, but not the Costa’s.
Shadick speculates that the bird, which will eventually have a prominent purple colour on its head, ventured north instead of south during the annual migration.
They expect to have the bird in their care until spring and he will be carefully guarded.
“No one gets to see him, only the couple of staff members who work here get to. We want to minimize contact with humans for all the birds in our care especially this one,” Katie Castellarin, Assistant Director at Living Sky Wildlife told CTV News.
Once the weather warms up, Castellarin expects the bird, which they are calling Costas for now, will be transported to a warmer climate.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.