Alberta has the bighorn sheep. Manitoba has the plains bison. Yukon has the raven. So what’s Ontario’s official animal?
We don’t have one — yet.
The loon is our official bird, but we can’t help but think that Ontario’s other furry and feathery (and slippery and leathery) denizens haven’t been given a chance to compete.
That’s why, over the next eight weeks, TVO.org will be giving 16 Ontario animals their turn in the spotlight. You’ll learn about how they live, what threats they’re facing, and how they reflect the province’s character. At the end of the series, you’ll get the chance to make your voice heard — and to vote for your favourite critter.
The winner may not end up on a flag or a coat of arms. But they’ll get a fancy title: Ontario’s unofficial official animal.
Click here for complete voting information, including matchup schedules.
Birds of eastern Canada, 1919. (Biodiversity Heritage Library/Flickr)
Species/scientific name:Cyanocitta cristata bromia
Adult size: 11 inches long, with a 16-inch wingspan
Adult weight: 85 grams (3 ounces)
Longevity: Average of seven years
Feeding and diet: Eats insects, acorns, and other seeds. They’re also known to take eggs from other birds.
Predators: Hawks, falcons, raccoons, cats, squirrels.
Threats: Pesticide poisoning
Habitat: Forested areas but can also appear in urban areas with parks
Range: Found throughout southern Ontario, all the way up to the northern part of the Great Lakes.
Population in Ontario: Estimated at 1.1 million
Conservation status in Ontario: Not listed
(Tony Campbell/Ontario Nature)
If you live in Ontario, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the blue jay. At the very least, you know that Toronto’s baseball team shares its moniker with this charming songbird, which is found throughout southern Ontario and can be seen as far north as the upper reaches of Lake Superior. And while blue jays are known to be aggressive — bullying other birds at feeders, eating other birds’ eggs and chicks, and just generally being loud and territorial — their bad rap hasn’t prevented them from becoming one of Ontario’s favourite birds.
The blue jay is perhaps most famous for its bright and beautiful blue plumage, which is why many people are often surprised to learn that blue jays aren’t really blue at all: their feathers are actually brown but contain specialized cells that scatter light in a way that reflects the blue back to us.
Blue Jays, Algonquin park, Ontario, Canada, May 2016
And while many species of bird exhibit strong sexual dimorphism, male and female blue jays look fairly similar, with the main difference being that males are sometimes a little larger. The easiest way to distinguish between males and females is to observe their behaviour. Females, for example, choose nesting sites and do most of the building, while the males bring sticks and twigs for the female to use. When females begin nesting, male blue jays take the lead in finding food and feeding both the female and her chicks — so during nesting season, males might be more commonly seen at bird feeders.
Kerrie Wilcox, who works at Birds Canada as the Canadian Leader for Project FeederWatch, says blue jays are abundant at feeders in Ontario. Project FeederWatch relies on observations from citizen scientists who set up bird feeders in their backyards and submit sightings to ornithologists who use that data to track populations of different species. “[Blue jays] were among the top four birds in Ontario last year,” she says. “They’ve visited 85 per cent of the FeederWatch sites.” This is also because blue jays are only partly migratory — some spend the whole winter in Ontario.
Wild fact: Blue jays' feathers aren't actually blue, but brown. The way they reflect light makes them appear blue.
She adds that they’re also funny to watch at feeders because they look a little bit like hoarders. Blue jays will take copious amounts of food in one go, storing extra in their expandable throat pouches. Wilcox says one observer noted a single blue jay taking a hundred sunflower seeds in one feeder visit. Despite this, blue jays aren’t gluttonous: they’re just “caching” — that is, burying food for the winter at sites up to four kilometres away from the source.
Ever the tricksters, blue jays are also masters of (vocal) disguise. They’re known to imitate larger birds, such as eagles and hawks. Wilcox says she’s been fooled before: she heard what she was sure was a hawk, only to look around and see the flutter of blue feathers in the trees around her. Blue jays’ mimicry skills can be helpful both to them and to other birds. They’ll often copy the sound of a larger bird at the first sign of danger, which not only helps them to stay safe, but also warns smaller birds around them that there’s reason to seek cover.
(PaulReevesPhotography/iStock)
Wilcox thinks blue jays would make a great candidate for Ontario’s official animal. “They’re definitely well known and they’re so beautiful,” Wilcox says. “They've got so much personality.”
Ontario Hubs are made possible by the Barry and Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust & Goldie Feldman.
This series is produced with the assistance of Ontario Nature.