Year-Round Birds

These are the bird species that are seen year-round in Calgary.  Some are abundant, and others are rare.  Some, like Canada Geese, vary in numbers at different times of the year.

Frequency:

  • A = Abundant (Over 500)
  • C = Common (101 to 500)
  • FC = Fairly Common (26 to 100)
  • S = Scarce (1-25)
  • R = Rare – irregular occurrence, in low numbers, and not necessarily in every year
  • E = Erratic – numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year

.

Canada Goose – A

Mallard – A

Harlequin Duck – R

Common Goldeneye – FC

Common Merganser – FC

Gray Partridge – FC

Ring-necked Pheasant – FC

Ruffed Grouse – FC to S (subject to 10-year cycles)

Bald Eagle – FC

Merlin – S

Rock Pigeon – A

Great Horned Owl – FC

Long-eared Owl – S

Short-eared Owl – R

Northern Saw-whet Owl – R

Downy Woodpecker – FC

Hairy Woodpecker – S

Northern Flicker – FC to S

Pileated Woodpecker – S

Blue Jay – FC

Black-billed Magpie – A

Common Raven – S

Black-capped Chickadee – C

Boreal Chickadee – S

Red-breasted Nuthatch – FC to S

White-breasted Nuthatch – S

Golden-crowned Kinglet – R

House Finch – C

House Sparrow – A

.

Source: Bird Date and Location Guide compiled by Gus Yaki.

5 Comments

5 thoughts on “Year-Round Birds”

  1. I do have a lot of redpolls this year but this one is whiter with a defined red cap.
    Can I send a pic to you? It isn’t great quality but I’m getting more intrigues the longer I look!

  2. the bird I saw was snow white and has a defined red cap. i DO have a lot of common redpolls in the yeard this year and had to look them up as I”m not used to seeing them either.

  3. I had a small white bird with a red cap and dark wings. I have never seen one before and can’t find what it is. About the size of a sparrow with a yellow beak. Have a picture but poor quality. Any idea’s what it may be would be appreciated. I live in Ponoka and it was ground feeding under the bird feeder in the back yard.

    • You are likely talking about a common redpoll, as they are all over the province this winter. They are boreal forest birds, but every few years their population ‘irrupts’ south and visits feeders for sunflower and niger seeds. Check out http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/id/ac to see if this is what you’re seeing. We’re getting a lot of questions on these little birds this winter!

Comments are closed.