List of birds of Alberta explained

Alberta is a landlocked province within Canada, bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the North-West Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south.[1] The northern part of the province is largely boreal forest, leading into the Great Plains in the south-east. The south-west portion of the province is generally temperate coniferous forest, bordered by the Rocky Mountains.[2] These different ecosystems, along with the border formed by the Rocky Mountains, contribute to the diversity of birds in the province. Notably, several "eastern" and "western" pairs can be seen in Alberta, such as the eastern bluebird and western bluebird.[3] The Central Flyway passes through Alberta, along with a portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, contributing to the variety of bird species which breed in, or migrate through, the province.[4] [5]

Unless otherwise noted, the information provided is from the Official List of the Birds of Alberta, produced by the Alberta Bird Record Committee, which contains 438 species as of April 2023.[6] Of these, 125 are accidentals, eight were introduced to Alberta, one species is extinct, and another is possibly extinct. This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 62nd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS).[7] Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that Canadian English spellings are used and the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.

The following tags are used to describe some categories of occurrence.


Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae

Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water.[8]

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae

Phasianidae consists of the pheasants and their allies. These are terrestrial species, variable in size but generally plump with broad relatively short wings.[8] Many species are gamebirds or have been domesticated as a food source for humans.[9]

Grebes

Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.[8]

Pigeons and doves

Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. They have strong flight muscles, allowing them to take off almost vertically and fly for long distances.[8]

Cuckoos

Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.[8]

Nightjars and allies

Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves.[8]

Swifts

Order: ApodiformesFamily: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.[8]

Hummingbirds

Order: ApodiformesFamily: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.[8]

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.[8]

Cranes

Order: GruiformesFamily: Gruidae

Cranes are large, long-legged birds who fly with their distinctive long necks outstretched. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". The breeding grounds for the only wild population of whooping cranes is in Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta.[8]

Stilts and avocets

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.[8]

Plovers and lapwings

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.[8]

Sandpipers and allies

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers, and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.[8]

Skuas and jaegers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: StercorariidaeSkuas and jaegers are medium to large seabirds with strongly hooked talons, hooked beaks, and webbed feet. They are pelagic birds and feed on a variety of animals—such as fish, bird eggs, and lemmings—by hunting, scavenging, or kleptoparasitizing them.[15] [16]

Auks, murres, and puffins

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Alcidae

Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture, and some of their habits, however they are only distantly related to the penguins and are able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest.[8]

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: LaridaeLaridae is a family of seabirds consisting of gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. Terns are generally smaller than gulls with more pointed wings and bills, many also having forked tails which help with aerial manoeuvrability. Both species can be found inland near lakes and rivers, however gulls have adapted well to human presence and can often be found in urban centers.[8] Skimmers have not been recorded in Alberta.[6]

Loons

Order: GaviiformesFamily: Gaviidae

Loons are aquatic birds, the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated. Their plumage is largely grey or black, and they have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim well and fly adequately, but are almost hopeless on land, because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body.[8]

Cormorants and shags

Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed.[8]

Pelicans

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak.[8] Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes.[8]

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises, and spoonbills.[8]

Ibises and spoonbills

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Threskiornithidae

The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies tend to be elongated, the neck more so, with rather long legs. The bill is also long, decurved in the case of the ibises, straight and distinctively flattened in the spoonbills.[8]

New World vultures

Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Cathartidae

The New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but superficially resemble them because of convergent evolution. Like the Old World vultures, they are scavengers. However, unlike Old World vultures, which find carcasses by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell with which they locate carcasses.[8]

Osprey

Order: AccipitriformesFamily: PandionidaePandionidae is a family of fish-eating birds of prey possessing a very large, powerful hooked beak for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. The family is monotypic.[8]

Hawks, eagles, and kites

Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.[8]

Barn-owls

Order: StrigiformesFamily: Tytonidae

Owls in the family Tytonidae are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces.[8]

Owls

Order: StrigiformesFamily: Strigidae

Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.[8]

Kingfishers

Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.[8]

Woodpeckers

Order: PiciformesFamily: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.[8]

Falcons and caracaras

Order: FalconiformesFamily: FalconidaeFalconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcons and caracaras. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.[8]

Tyrant flycatchers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust and have stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, are rather plain. As the name implies, most are insectivorous.[8]

Vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Vireonidae

Vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds mostly restricted to the New World, though few other members of the family are found in Asia. They are typically greenish in colour and resemble wood warblers apart from their heavier bills.[8]

Shrikes

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey.[8]

Crows, jays, and magpies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.[8]

Tits, chickadees, and titmice

Order: PasseriformesFamily: ParidaeParidae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.[8]

Larks

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Alaudidae

Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.[8]

Swallows

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.[8]

Kinglets

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Regulidae

Kinglets are a small family of birds which resemble the titmice. They are very small insectivorous birds. The adults have coloured crowns, giving rise to their name.[8]

Waxwings

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are a group of passerine birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter.[8]

Nuthatches

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet.[8]

Treecreepers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.[8]

Gnatcatchers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Polioptilidae

These dainty birds resemble Old World warblers in their structure and habits, moving restlessly through the foliage seeking insects. The gnatcatchers are mainly soft bluish grey in colour and have the typical insectivore's long sharp bill. Many species have distinctive black head patterns (especially males) and long, regularly cocked, black-and-white tails.[8]

Wrens

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.[8]

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Mimidae

The mimids are a family of passerine birds which includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. These birds are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. The species tend towards dull greys and browns in their appearance.[8]

Starlings

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sturnidae

Starlings and mynas are small to medium-sized Old World passerine birds with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct and most are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. The plumage of several species is dark with a metallic sheen.[8]

Dippers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: CinclidaeDippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe and Asia. They are named for their bobbing or dipping movements. These birds have adaptations which allows them to submerge and walk on the bottom to feed on insect larvae.[8]

Thrushes and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.[8]

Old World flycatchers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large family of small passerine birds. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.[8]

Accentors

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Prunellidae

Accentors are small, fairly drab species superficially similar, but unrelated to, sparrows. However, accentors have thin sharp bills, reflecting their diet of insects in summer, augmented with seeds and berries in winter.[8]

Old World sparrows

Order: PasseriformesFamily: PasseridaeOld World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or greyish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.[8]

Wagtails and pipits

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Motacillidae

Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. They are slender ground-feeding insectivores of open country.[8]

Finches, euphonias, and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.[8]

Longspurs and snow buntings

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Calcariidae

Calcariidae are a group of passerine birds which are mostly endemic to North America. They are primarily found in open fields, where their plumage helps them blend into their surroundings.[19]

New World sparrows

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Passerellidae

Until 2017, these species were considered part of the family Emberizidae.[20] Most of the species are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many of these have distinctive head patterns.[8]

Yellow-breasted chat

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Icteriidae

This species was historically placed in the wood-warblers (Parulidae) but nonetheless most authorities were unsure if it belonged there. It was placed in its own family in 2017.[21]

Troupials and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Icteridae

Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most species have black as a predominant plumage colour, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red.[8]

New World warblers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Parulidae

The New world warblers are a group of small often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are more terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.[8]

Cardinals and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cardinalidae

The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Smith . Peter . Davidson . Robert Bruce . Harrison . Raymond O. . Alberta . Encyclopedia Britannica . 24 January 2024.
  2. Encyclopedia: Alberta. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation of Canada. 2008. October 1, 2008. December 13, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213034807/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/alberta/. live.
  3. Book: McGillivray . W. B. . Semenchuk . G. P. . The Federation of Alberta Naturalists Field Guide to Alberta Birds . 1998 . Nature Alberta . Edmonton, Alberta . 0-9696134-2-3.
  4. Web site: Regional Ecosystems: The Prairie Pothole Region . National Biological Information Infrastructure . 26 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111025014513/http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=424&PageID=1410&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2 . 25 October 2011.
  5. Book: Johnsgard . Paul . Wings over the Great Plains: bird migrations in the central flyway . 2012 . Zea Books . Lincoln, Nebraska . 978-1-60962-029-5 . 8 January 2024.
  6. Web site: Official List of the Birds of Alberta . Royal Alberta Museum Collections . 4 June 2021 . Alberta Bird Record Committee . 6 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240106172355/https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/collections/life-sciences/ornithology/birds-list . 6 January 2024.
  7. Web site: Check-list of North and Middle American Birds . . June 29, 2021 . American Ornithological Society . August 9, 2021.
  8. Book: Elphick . Jonathan . The Handbook of Bird Families . 2019 . Firefly Books . Richmond Hill, Ontario . 978-0-2281-0119-2.
  9. Mozdziak . Paul . Species of meat animals: (d) Poultry . Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences . 2024 . 1–7 . 10.1016/B978-0-323-85125-1.00129-0 . 978-0-323-85198-5 . 25 January 2024.
  10. Ectopistes migratorius. 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690733A152593137.en .
  11. Hudon . Jocelyn . Klauke . Richard . Knapton . Richard . Lein . M. Ross . Riddell . John . Ritchie . Brian . Wershler . Ray . Sixth Report of the Alberta Bird Record Committee . NatureAlberta . 2006 . 23 January 2024.
  12. Book: Acorn . John . Fisher . Chris . Birds of Alberta . 1998 . Lone Pine Publishing . Edmonton . 1772130672 . 197 . 28 January 2024.
  13. 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22693170A178901365.en . Numenis borealis.
  14. Book: The Atlas of breeding birds of Alberta . 1992 . Federation of Alberta Naturalists . 978-0-9696134-0-4 . 23 January 2024.
  15. Cohen . B. L. . Baker . A. J. . Blechschmidt . K. . Dittmann . D. L. . Furness . H. D. . Gerwin . J. A. . Helbig . A. J. . De Korte . J. . Marshall . H. D. . Palma . R. L. . Peter . H.-U. . Ramli . R. . Siebold . I. . Willcox . M. S. . Wilson . R. H. . 1997-02-22 . Enigmatic phylogeny of skuas (Aves: Stercorariidae) . Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences . en . 264 . 1379 . 182 . 10.1098/rspb.1997.0026 . 0962-8452 . 1688246 . 9061968.
  16. Carlos . Caio J. . 2016 . How many genera of Stercorariidae are there? . Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia . en . 24 . 2 . 191–195 . 10.1007/BF03544345 . 2178-7875. free .
  17. Recovery Strategy for the Lewis' Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) in Canada . Species at Risk Act . 2017 . 28 January 2024 . Recovery Strategy Series . Environment and Cliamte Change Canada . Ottawa.
  18. Web site: Sage Thrasher . Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada . 23 January 2024.
  19. Winkler . David W. . Billerman . Shawn M. . Lovette . Irby J. . Shawn M. . Brooke K. . Paul G. . Thomas S. . Billerman . Keeney . Rodewald . Schulenberg . Longspurs and Snow Buntings (Calcariidae) . Birds of the World . 4 March 2020 . 10.2173/bow.calcar1.01 . 27 January 2024.
  20. Chesser . R. Terry . Burns . Kevin J. . Cicero . Carla . Dunn . Jon L. . Kratter . Andrew W. . Lovette . Irby J. . Rasmussen . Pamela C. . Remsen . J. V. . Rising . James D. . Stotz . Douglas F. . Winker . Kevin . Fifty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds . The Auk . July 2017 . 134 . 3 . 751–773 . 10.1642/AUK-17-72.1.
  21. Thompson . Charles F. . Eckerle . Kevin P. . Paul G. . Brooke K. . Rodewald . Keeney . Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) . Birds of the World . 21 January 2022 . 10.2173/bow.yebcha.02 . 26 January 2024.

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