Canada does not have an official one of these, so this guy will get my vote....

[snowywolfowl]

Ladies and Gentlemen I present my vote for Canada's Official Bird, the deceptively cute, solidly adaptive, and quite fearless....


...Gray Jay aka Whiskey Jack.



Honestly I think these guys are a perfect choice. They're a northern species found throughout our boreal forests, they thrive in harsh winters, and they are cheeky little bastards to boot. :-)  Seriously, wild ones will land on your hand to take trail mix if you offer it and steal things that they like. In an odd sort of way that's rather Canadian since we do try to take the best parts of the world and integrate them into us.

So readers let me know which of the five finalists you like. The other four are below:



1. Black capped Chickadee. It's a solid choice all around and does beat the Gray Jay for straight up cuteness. I was almost tempted and if New Brunswick hadn't already designated it as its provincial bird I might have thrown my vote behind these little guys.



2. Common Loon. On the plus side these guys are beautiful waterfowl and have a hauntingly beautiful song. If you've never heard it you should. It's pretty in an etheral sort of way. That being said though its not like Ontario's provincial bird doesn't get coverage. There is a reason why we call our $1 dollar coin the "Loonie" after all, and it has to do with this bird gracing it.

I found a video of their calls. It's worth a listen.

3. Snowy Owl. For my money these are the greatest birds of prey Canada has and are an impressively beautiful creature. With me saying that, and my own Livejournal handle I'm sure some are wondering why I didn't go for this one and partly its because its already gotten provincial love, in this case from Quebec. Its not quite as over exposed as the Loon but its also not hurting for coverage. There's also a political dimension here in that some in Quebec may very well be peeved if Canada decided to appropriate their provincial bird to be the national one. Since I've voted against the other two provincial birds on the list I feel I should be consistent.

And finally #4....



The Canada Goose.

Oh hell no. No. No. No. No. No.

If I wanted to vote for a nuisance bird that chases children and pets, prevents people from enjoying outdoor areas and shits EVERYWHERE its not even the best choice. At least Herring Gulls eat enough garbage to help keep the rat population down at the local dump. And again its not like these giant swimming pigeons don't get enough recognition. Wawa built a giant statue of one for pete's sake.


So there we have it. The five choices in the contest.  Let me know which one (or any other bird) says "Canada" to you in the comments. Mosquitoes and Black Flies don't count! :-)

Comments

[sarahbellem.livejournal.com]

There's a flock of Canada Geese that winters in the park across the street from my house. They should be returning any day now... And yeah, they're all colossal assholes. Then again, I kind of enjoy the fact that an asshole species could be the nicest country's mascot... ;)

[snowywolfowl.livejournal.com]

A Canadian humourist in the 70's once said Canadians make the best peacekeepers because after playing ice hockey and lacrosse against each other we have no hatred left for anyone else. So I guess the Canada Goose would be a good choice if one wanted to remind the world that beneath that sweet veneer of politeness is a raging maniac happy to hit you over the head with a stick (or in the case of Canada geese, a wing). :-)

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Two points in favor of the Canadian Goose - it has Canada in it's name and it's a ridiculously smart bird. The ones in my neck of the woods even use the crosswalks to get across the street - they won't cross anywhere else. Of course, that's mostly on the military base (Bethesda Naval Hospital) but still, pretty darn smart.

...I'm torn between the Common Loon and the Snowy Owl though, really. The Canadian Goose just needs some love!

[snowywolfowl.livejournal.com]

Both are good points but they're generally so fowl tempered that it is hard to feel the love when dodging them and their landmines on the sidewalk. Cool anecdote about the cross walks though, and come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen a dead goose by the side of the road, which I can't say for Herring Gulls or Pigeons.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Definitely Whiskey Jack! I've read about them in those old novels on Project Gutenberg. They sound so fun! The author/characters were certainly partial to them. Besides, they're specific to Canada. Unlike the loon, which YES is overexposed, and over a good part of the U.S. to boot.

[snowywolfowl.livejournal.com]

They really are a fun little bird. I ran into some when I was on a canoe trip from Chapleau to Missanabie in Northern Ontario a few years back and the wild ones really will take food out of your hand, or land on the canoe while its floating down a river. I mean chickadees will do that too but my sister had to spend a lot of time standing outside in the snow before that happened.

And you're right about the distribution. I just checked and other than some Rocky Mountain states and Alaska (which really doesn't count when discussing wildlife habitats in the lower 48) they really don't have much a US presence.