Instructions
Recognize the birds in the eastern region of Canada. The Iceland Gull and the northern parula are two birds often seen. The Iceland Gull breeds in Canada and Greenland and is in Iceland during the winter months for warmer weather. It is 19 inches long and is light gray on top and white on the bottom. It has a yellowish green bill. It eats mostly fish, but will also eat other small birds and its eggs. The northern parula is white and yellow on the bottom and dark green and blue on the backside with some white lines. It grows to almost 4 inches long and eats insects.
Look in central Canada for more birds. The Canada goose and the blue jay are found in central parts of Canada such as Ontario. The blue jay grows to about 12 inches long and weighs almost 4 ounces. It is different shades of blue with a white belly and white areas of the face. The blue jay eats insects and eggs of other birds. The Canada goose is brownish gray with a white neck. It grows as long as 43 inches and up to 14 pounds. They eat vegetables, grains, fish and insects.
Search in Alberta and British Columbia for the prairie falcon. This bird grows to 16 inches and almost 2 pounds. It is gray and brown on top to a lighter pale color on the bottom of the body. It eats small mammals and other smaller birds. The Anna's hummingbird is also located in the southwestern region of Canada. It grows to four inches long and weighs less than 11 ounces.This is a tiny bird that is bronze and green on the back and grayish on its chest area. The crown is red and has a long narrow bill. The Anna's hummingbird eats nectar from flowers and small spiders and insects.
Notice the woodpecker that lives in the pine wooded areas of the southwest region of Canada. The Lewis's woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers, growing up to 11 inches long. It has a black tail along with black and green back and red-colored breast. The Lewis's woodpecker eats berries, nuts and insects.
Recognize the difference between the American crow and the northwestern crow. Both crows are black, but the northwestern crow located in the northwestern region of Canada has smaller feet and a thinner bill. It can grow to 16 inches long and weigh almost 4 pounds.
Look in the northern region of Canada for seabirds. The short-tailed albatross and the Manx Shearwater birds live in the far north areas of Canada. The short-tailed albatross grows to 37 inches long and can weigh up to 19 pounds. It is white with black markings and yellow on the head. The Manx Shearwater can grow up to 15 inches long. When resting, they stay on rocks in the ocean near land. They are are black on top and white on the bottom. Both Manx and short-tails eat fish.
How to Identify Canadian Birds
It has been estimated that there are about 630 species of birds in Canada. There are many that stay a large part of their life in certain regions of Canada, but others make their way throughout the country. Many of the birds will fly elsewhere during the winter or summer months depending on their needs. For example, if they need to live in warmer climates, then they will fly south where the warmer weather is. There are several birds that resemble birds in America, but they differ slightly. In the steps below, there are number of different kinds of birds identified.