Love it or hate it: Magpies crowned Edmonton’s city bird

The magpie has been named Edmonton's bird.

You don’t have to look far to find one of Edmonton’s new city bird.

Bird Friendly Edmonton announced on Saturday that the black-billed magpie won top spot out of six year-round resident birds who entered the ring in October.

Nick Carter, with Nature Alberta, said more than 40,000 votes were cast in two rounds of voting.

“The magpie got almost 40 per cent of the votes out of the six candidate species,” he added. “People in Edmonton have definitely spoken and it seems like the magpie has really become embraced.”

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According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the magpie belongs to the crow family. Of the 20 magpie species known worldwide, only the black-billed magpie lives in Canada.

The iridescent and intelligent bird beat out downy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatches, boreal chickadees, the blue jay and northern saw-whet owls.

“It’s a bird that everybody knows,” Carter said. “And while you’ve got a lot of people who, you know, kind of have some hard feelings toward it, there’s quite a number of people who look at the magpie kind of affectionately.”

In 2022, Edmonton became the eighth Canadian city to earn a Bird Friendly City certification from Nature Canada.

The black-billed magpie will now represent the city’s ongoing commitment to making itself a safer place for birds.

“We are hoping to have the decision officially recognized by the City of Edmonton,” Carter said. “The magpie gets, I think, hopefully a little bit more respect in the community.”

The announcement was made at Big Lake in Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park on World Migratory Bird Day.

For more information on bird safety in the city and how to make your home more friendly for feathered visitors, visit Bird Friendly Edmonton’s website or the Nature Alberta website.