Should magpies be Edmonton's bird? Here's how to cast your vote

A black-billed magpie can be seen in this undated photo. (Credit: Kathryn Keith)

Edmontonians are being asked to cast their ballot for the local bird they think best represents our city.

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Six bird species are up for nomination to represent Edmonton's commitment to being a bird friendly city.

"What we're trying to do is raise awareness of the urban biodiversity in the city by nominating a bird species that lives here," said Nick Carter, of Nature Alberta.

The contest is open to all ages of Edmonton-area residents and votes can be cast here.

Out of the around 300 bird species that spend time in the Edmonton area, six year-round resident birds were chosen: Downy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatches, boreal chickadees, northern saw-whet owls, and the polarizing black-billed magpie. 

Carter said while the social and highly-intelligent magpie is certainly one of the most common local species, it may not be the most popular – though he'd like to see that change.

"I think in a lot of ways, magpies kind of remind us of ourselves, and it's kind of funny that we would not really like that," he said.

"They really are an intelligent and hardy species, and they have really thrived in spite of previous persecution by people who wanted to deplete their numbers, so I think they really earned our respect."

In 2022, Edmonton became the eighth Canadian city to receive a Bird Friendly City Certification from Nature Canada.

Carter said the victorious species will represent Bird Friendly Edmonton and the ongoing commitment to make the city a safer place for birds, such as trying to reduce deadly collisions with windows.

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"There are a variety of simple ways to do that," he said. "(Like) different types of stickers that you can put onto Windows that reduce the reflection."

"Another really important way that everyday folks throughout the city can really help out birds is to keep your cats either inside, or if you do take them outside, try and keep them on a leash," he added.

"Cats that just wander around neighborhoods end up killing a lot of small birds, so they're really taking a heavy toll. "

The new initiative was started by the Edmonton Nature Club as part of Bird Friendly Edmonton.

The first round of voting will wrap up on Dec. 31. The top three birds will move to the second round of voting, which will run until March 31.

In May 2022, Calgary chose the black-capped chickadee as its official bird.

Carter said it will be up to the City of Edmonton to officially designate the winning bird to represent the city as well.

For more information about making Edmonton a friendlier city for birds, visit Bird Friendly Edmonton's website.