Updated: May 29, 2018
Birders and ornithologists across
Canada are hoping that a name change will help revive a campaign to make the
cheeky songbird the country’s national bird.
What was once known as the Gray
Jay is now the Canada Jay. Earlier this month the change was announced by
the American Ornithological Association (AOA), the
U.S.-based group dedicated to the scientific study and conservation of birds.
In fact, the decision corrects
what many consider a historical mistake. Canada Jay is a
restoration of the English name the bird held from 1831-1957.
The new name for the songbird is
exactly what David Bird, a retired McGill University wildlife professor, thinks
will help convince the federal government to officially adopt the Canada Jay as
the country’s national bird.
Bird speaks on behalf of Team
Canada Jay, a loose group of about 50 birders, ornithologists and supporters.
One of its prominent members is artist Robert Bateman.
Last year, the drive to single
out the Gray Jay ran out of steam when the federal government said it wasn’t
interested. The campaign had been started by the Royal
Canadian Geographic Society which ran a National Bird Project and an online contest.
Finishing first and second in voting were the common loon and snowy owl. But
the society choose the third-place Gray Jay for a very good reason, Bird said.
The loon is already Ontario’s provincial bird and the snowy owl, Quebec’s.
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