Black-capped Chickadee
These non-migratory birds are Alberta’s most common chickadee, surviving the harshest of winters and nesting in tree cavities. They are known for their unique “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call and are commonly spotted near birches, alders, and poplars. They have a wide range of diets, including insects plants, and small carrion.
Purple Martin
Purple Martins are known for their social nature and unique blueish-purple feathers. After making the long journey from South America, they come here to breed, taking residence in 50 birdhouses around Camrose. With the help of Purple Martin Landlords, they are thiriving. They are insectivorous, capturing insects mid-flight, including dragonflies, moths and damselflies.
Blue Jay
Blue Jays have been known to breed and live in Alberta all year round. They are very intelligent, often displaying complex courtship rituals to establish pair bonds. They eat seeds, nuts, fruits, and some small vertebrates. You can most likely find them in coniferous forests, parks, and suburban areas. These birds’ colour comes from light scattering through their feathers rather than from pigment, displaying a blue crest, back, wings and tail.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
These tiny, energetic birds have a unique flight pattern, making short, bouncy flights between coniferous trees and making calls resembling a toy horn. Red-breasted Nuthatches make their own houses by excavating cavities into dead wood and often put a sticky substance by the entrance to deter predators. Having little fear of humans, they are often observed close-up and are frequent visitors to bird feeders.
Canada Goose
These birds need no introduction, often seen in urban and suburban areas taking advantage of the abundant food and few predators. Canada Geese mate for life and stay with the same partner for over two decades while migrating north and south each year. They are very protective of their young and can even sleep with one eye open, shutting down half of their brain at a time.
