Bird Friendly Calgary
| Formation | 2020-11 |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.birdfriendlycalgary.ca/ |
Bird Friendly Calgary is volunteer organization located in Calgary, Alberta focused on the protection of birds and other urban biodiversity.[1]
History
The Calgary Bird Team was established in November, 2020 by members of local environmental groups, the City of Calgary, and interested citizens.[2]
Calgary was first certified as a bird friendly city in 2021 by Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City initiative.[3][4][5]
In April 2022 Bird Friendly Calgary partnered with Nature Canada and the City of Calgary to hold a vote to choose an official city bird.[6] The winner was announced in May on World Migratory Bird Day and officially recognized in June, which was the black-capped chickadee.[7] The vote was held to promote Calgary's certification as a bird safe city the previous year.[4][8][9]
In 2025 the organization began its Lights Out for Birds campaign which encourages city residents to turn off their lights from 11pm-6am during spring and fall bird migration.[10][11][12][13]
In November 2025 Calgary became the first city to be certified as "bird friendly" three times.[3]
Programs
City Bird Vote
In April 2022 Bird Friendly Calgary partnered with Nature Canada and the City of Calgary to hold a vote to choose an official city bird. The winner was announced in May and officially recognized in June, which was the black-capped chickadee.[4]
Lights Out for Birds Campaign
The group has worked to educate high-rise dwellers and downtown workers about light pollution's impact on birds and bird-building collisions.[3] They also started a campaign to encourage city residents to turn off their lights from 11pm-6am during migratory periods.[11][12][10][13]
Partners
Organizations that Bird Friendly Calgary has partnered with include Nature Canada, Nature Calgary, Calgary Urban Species Response Team, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre, and the City of Calgary.[14]
References
- ↑ "Calgary's Bird". Engage. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "Mandatory Criteria". Bird Friendly Calgar. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 3 Strasser, Scott. "Calgary recertified as 'bird-friendly' city by Nature Canada".
- 1 2 3 Lirette, Dominika. "The votes are in. Calgary's official bird is..." CBC.
- ↑ "Urban birds: A Nature Canada initiative has certified Calgary as a 'bird-friendly city'". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "Public vote for Calgary's official bird launched following council OK - Calgary | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "Chickadee recognized as Calgary's official bird by city council". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "City Bird Vote". Bird Friendly Calgar. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "Education and Outreach". Bird Friendly Calgar. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 Bruch, Timm (2025-08-16). "'Flip a switch': Calgarians encouraged to turn out the lights for birds". CTVNews. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 "Bird Friendly Calgary urges residents to turn lights out at night during migration season". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2025-10-12. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 "Spring migration is beginning, and millions of birds will be travelling at night and outdoor lights can confuse them | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 Gilligan, Melissa (2025-03-17). "Bird Friendly Calgary asks citizens to turn lights out during spring migration". CTVNews. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "Birds | Bird Friendly Calgary". Bird Friendly Calgar. Retrieved 2026-03-11.