The Canada Jay

The Canada Jay as Canada’s National Bird? presents a convincing argument for the official recognition of the Canada Jay as our national bird by the federal government. With chapters written by several authors, including experts on the species, whimsical poetry, perspectives from all three founding peoples of Canada, many excellent colourful photos and paintings by talented photographers and artists, and a Foreword by none other than Robert Bateman, the book promotes the idea that Canada needs a National Bird and that the Canada Jay best fits the bill. While the bird was proclaimed the winner of the ‘contest’ run by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society several years ago and despite the fact that many Canadians now consider it to be our national bird, our federal government has yet to recognize it officially. One could not find a more Canadian bird than the aptly named Canada Jay! This clever corvid breeds in every province and territory and its range almost mirrors our country’s borders. It is extremely friendly, often landing on an outstretched palm even without food, and it is among the hardiest of all of our Canadian birds, staying north of the 49th parallel during winter and sometimes incubating eggs at -30 degrees C! It is not hunted or killed for any reason and its popular name, whisky jack, originates from our Indigenous peoples. Best of all, it has not yet been chosen to represent any provinces or territories. Finally, the Canada Jay presents itself as an excellent ‘poster child’ for our boreal forests, for our national and provincial parks, and for climate change.