Guelph becomes 17th Canadian city to be officially designated ‘bird-friendly’

Nature Canada has officially given the City of Guelph the designation of a “Bird Friendly City," making it the 17th city in Canada to receive the distinction.

The announcement was made in a media release on Sept. 1, with Guelph achieving the intermediate bird-friendly status with a total score of 35 points out of a possible 50.

“Guelphites love the environment, and our birds – thanks for your overwhelming support and for choosing the Black-capped Chickadee as Guelph’s official bird,” said Jayne Holmes, Guelph’s deputy chief administrative officer of infrastructure, development and enterprise services in a media release. “We’re proud to be on the list of Canadian cities working with Nature Canada to protect birds and their habitat.”

Neighbouring cities Hamilton, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills have all previously been awarded bird-friendly city status.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BIRD-FRIENDLY CITY?

There are three levels of Bird Friendly City status: entry, intermediate and high.

A point-based system ranks the city on its threat reduction, habitat protection, restoration and climate resiliency and the amount of community outreach and education.

The minimum standard to achieve “entry status” is approximately 50 per cent of the possible points within each category.

“Intermediate status” is attained by achieving from 65 per cent to 80 per cent of possible points, and “High status” is above 80 per cent.

All cities and towns that meet the standards would have some common elements, such as holding a World Migratory Bird Day event in their community, having a Bird Team, and promoting their status on the Municipal website.

The City of Guelph received 13 points for its threat reduction to birds, nine points for habitat protection, and 13 points for community outreach and education - giving the city a 70 per cent passing rate.

“I’m thrilled that Guelph has been named a Bird Friendly City. We had amazing community engagement when we held a vote on Guelph’s official bird, and this Bird Friendly designation will provide even more opportunities for awareness and engagement on the importance of birds and their habitats,” said Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.

Earlier this year, the City of Guelph announced it had selected the Black-Capped Chickadee as the city’s official bird following a public vote.

The city said the Black-Capped Chickadee received 1,656 votes, the Chimney Swift got 715 votes and the Green Heron had 407 votes.

“Guelph has worked in collaboration with Nature Canada’s partners including Bird Safe Guelph, The University of Guelph Arboretum and Nature Guelph alongside many other local organizations and dedicated volunteers to make their communities a safe haven for wild bird populations,” the release said.