12 Most Common Birds in Alberta, Canada

A huge proportion of bird species, many of which are migratory, live across Alberta.

These species include eagles, swallows, geese, owls, ducks, and various kinds of songbirds.

Alberta is among the regions that make up the Canadian land. This territory has a huge diversity of wildlife, with Alberta birds standing out.

As a result of the favorable climatic and environmental circumstances across this region, many feathered birds may be seen living there.

This is true both south and north of Alberta in addition to the province’s east and west.

ImageName
White PartridgeWhite Partridge
Pardel PartridgePardel Partridge
Greater Prairie ChickenGreater Prairie Chicken
FaisanFaisan
Canadian BarnacleCanadian Barnacle
Canadian ThrushCanadian Thrush
Sergeant ThrushSergeant Thrush
White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned Sparrow
Aura GallipavoAura Gallipavo
American White PelicanAmerican White Pelican
GoldeneyeGoldeneye
Cassin's BullfinchCassin's Bullfinch

Most Common Birds in Alberta

1. White Partridge

White Partridge

This bird, known commonly as “Lagopus muta” lives throughout arctic areas where temperatures may drop below zero degrees Celsius.

Its physical characteristics change according to the season of each year, from becoming white during the winter to leaning toward light brown when the summer temperature increases.

To shield themselves from the chilly weather, they use their feathers to wrap their feet, which act as thermal insulation.

Habitat & Food

This partridge lives throughout northern Alberta, where they may be spotted mostly on slopes and are often observed in the region of Jasper National Park, which is present in the Alberta province, where shrubs are abundant, and typically prefer locations where grass grows over the snow.

The ptarmigan’s food consists mostly of berries, horsetail, sedges, blueberries, and other vegetables. However, when juveniles, they also consume insects such as snails, spiders, and even mosquitoes.

2. Pardel Partridge

Pardel Partridge
Credits – Wilex Tours

This bird is a little creature that belongs to the Phasianidae family and has total sizes that don’t really surpass 30 centimeters. Its feathers are coppery brown along with dark brown markings, and its cheeks have a warmer orange shade.

It’s among the Alberta birds species that occupy scrublands mostly in arctic areas towards the south of this region; from Europe, it was brought to Canada as well as the north of the US as a small game bird and fed mainly grains, seeds, and insects to receive the nutrition it requires for its body.

These birds dwell and wander within groups, looking for food in areas in which the grass isn’t as tall, making it easier for them to locate seeds.

3. Greater Prairie Chicken

Greater Prairie Chicken
Credits – Wikipedia

It is a bird that is remarkably identical to the domestic chicken, except that the males vary from the females in that they possess an orange-colored area around their eyes.

The feathers on their head are rather lengthy and are distinguished by the fact that they can utilize them voluntarily, trying to inflate an orange area on their throat when they desire to mate.

Females possess shorter feathers on their heads and lack the males’ orange markings.

They are strong-bodied creatures that can withstand the snowfalls that are typical within the Alberta region where they live.

They possess small crescent-shaped tails and muscular legs, appealing white and brown mottled tones, and vegetarian dietary habits centered on various seeds and fruits.

They also eat other insects that they locate in the shrubs.

4. Faisan

Faisan
Credits – Pinterest

It is among the most amazing creatures on the planet, having feathers of appealing and vivid colors such as brown in various shades, red, purple, green, golden yellow, and mottled black, and its look is slim, with a long tail and colorful feathers.

A male of this bird can attain a height of approximately 90 centimeters, whereas females are shorter, reaching heights of only over 60 centimeters.

In general, they are species with rounded and sharp beaks, small heads and light colors, slender legs of a light grayish color, broad but small wings, and vertical flights similar to choppers.

During flying, it may reach a height of up to 10 meters and attain velocities of more than 60 kilometers per hour.

Grasslands, scrublands, and agricultural fields are their favorite habitats, wherein they collect their food, which consists of leaves, fruits, and seeds, in addition to worms, insects, and other invertebrates.

5. Canadian Barnacle

Canadian Barnacle
Credits – Pinterest

The scientific term Branta canadensis often called the Canada Geese, is a bird with a wingspan of 1.1 to 1.9 meters and a normal size of about 110 centimeters. It is among the major species of geese with a white spot in the shape of stripes.

The feathers surrounding its body appear brown and brighter in the center, becoming darker in the tips of its wings, with a fairly pale tone on the bottom portion of its body.

The barnacle is an adaptable bird that feeds on vegetables, stems, leaves, seeds, and roots in a variety of settings near bodies of water.

6. Canadian Thrush

Hermit Thrush

It does have a stiff and sharp beak with a grey and lustrous shade that covers its eyes. It has a very appealing coloring, a greyish with flashes in different brown colors that help it hide among some of the foliage.

It is among the Alberta birds that consume snails, aquatic, crustaceans, berries, and terrestrial insects, including grasshoppers, crickets, and other species, as well as seeds, fish, and small reptiles.

It occupies Alberta’s marshy and heavily forested places and is frequently seen in the conifers and fir trees ubiquitous throughout this region.

These birds build their nests from sticks and grass, coating the interior using mud gathered from the surface and topped with rotting grasses.

7. Sergeant Thrush

Sergeant Thrush

The sergeant is among the most wonderful creatures throughout North America, with strenuous and shimmery black feathers.

In the males, a yellow and a very striking red mark upon their wings. It is a rigorous and skinny bird with a strong, sharp, and fine beak, which enables them to pierce the plants in looking for food.

The female is clearly distinguished because its plumage possesses a less strong coloration, usually to be brown. They live within locations with high moisture and nest atop trees near water bodies.

They mostly consume seeds, insects, and other cereals.

8. White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

This is a small-sized Alberta bird having white feathers beneath its beak and white dots on the top portion of its eyes, wherein it does have a yellow eyespot near the beginning of its small beak.

Its body is grey, with wings and tail tones of light brown, black dark brown, and some white patches. Its tail is lengthy compared to its size. 

Its food consists of fruits, grains, seeds, and a range of different insects. The white-throated grosbeak prefers grasslands, thickets, and forested slopes as its favored environment.

9. Aura Gallipavo

Aura Gallipavo
Credits – ebird

This is a vulture bird, formally called Cathartes aura, and it features a snout, black feathers on its body, and some tones of brown to white on the margins of the feathers on its tail and wings.

In terms of size, it is considered the biggest bird, with a wingspan of approximately  1.83 meters, a body length of up to 80 centimeters, and a body mass of more than 2 kilograms.

It can identify the odors of decaying animals from long distances and lives throughout many regions of America, particularly across Alberta’s northern and southern regions.

It feeds on carrion, which would be easily accessed thanks to its advanced smelling sense.

10. American White Pelican

American White Pelican

This pelican has a majestic look, with a wingspan of about 1.8 meters and a weight of around 13 kilograms. Its body is fully covered in white feathers. There are black feathers at the apex of its wings.

They get a strange, big, and powerful beak with an orange sack beneath it that they are using to feed. They assemble in bunches to collect their food, usually consisting of mollusks, crustaceans, and a wide range of fish, including trout, carp, and salmon.

They congregate in groups across Alberta for breeding, as well as in Forth Smith, wherein they search the cold waters of mangroves, marshes, and bays.

11. Goldeneye

Goldeneye

This bird is a diving duck with a black back and head with certain greenish and glossy tones, a snow-white neck, and golden yellow eyes.

The Goldeneye is a huge bird specie that measures around 46 centimeters from head to tail. The Barrow variety has a richer brownish color on the back and head, a white abdomen, and grey wings.

They eat fish, eggs, different vegetables, invertebrates, and small fish. They favor aquatic insects during mating season.

12. Cassin’s Bullfinch

Cassin's Bullfinch
Credits – Pinterest

The male of this lovely bird does have reddish feathers covering his head. His back is a dark brown shade with its white feather edged, and the lower portion of his body has an extremely light brown feather that goes to white with black patches.

The female is shorter, with a brown head and body and a brighter coloring on the abdomen and breast featuring brown dots.

Conclusion

Now that you understand all, there is to learn about some of the most frequent birds within Alberta Province. You might share your information!

The more you discover about this province’s stunningly varied and complicated species, the more you will enjoy the natural environment.

FAQ

Are Swifts found within Alberta Province?

The black swift is a fast-flying, evasive bird nest on rocky cliffs across British Columbia and Alberta. During the mating season, Canada houses approximately 80% of the North American population of that kind of bird species.

Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin

About Lily Aldrin

I am Lily Aldrin. I attended Cornell University, where I obtained my degree to become an Ornithologist so I could pursue my love of these magnificent creatures in and out of their natural habitats.

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