Birding BC
British Columbia Birding Specialties
459 species in 46 families
Provincial Bird Stellar's Jay
- Stellar’s jay
- Crested mynah (Vancouver)
- Spotted towhee
- Red-breasted sapsucker
- Skylark (Victoria)
- Pigeon guillemot
- Northwestern crow
- Mac Gillvray’s warbler
- Rosy finch
- Townsends’s warbler
- Great scaup
- Northern hawk owl
- Varied thrush
- Wilson’s warbler
- Red-naped sapsucker
- Rufous hummingbird
- Brant goose
- Black swift
BC Rare Bird Alert Hotlines
Vancouver (604) 737-3074 – Victoria (250) 704-2555
British Columbia (BC) is Canada’s westernmost province, bordered by the Pacific Ocean. Bounded by the Yukon and Northwest Territories on the north, the panhandle of Alaska forms about half of the western boundary. On the east, B.C. is bordered by Alberta, and to the south the US states of Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Where the Pacific Ocean reaches the continent, it meets a chain of islands running from north to south known as the Inside Passage. This passage extends from the Juan de Fuca Strait at the southern end of Vancouver Island, north to Prince Rupert and up to Alaska. The rugged coastline includes deep, mountainous fjords and about 6,000 islands, many of them uninhabited.
Much of the western part of Vancouver Island and the rest of the coast is covered by temperate rain forest. This region is one of a mere handful of such temperate rain forest ecosystems in the world.
The BC Interior changes dramatically from north to south. In the extreme northeast a small corner is an extension of the Great Plains. The Cariboo plateau is a series of high plateaus and rolling ranchland, while the southern Okanagan interior is made up of fertile valleys that produce fruits and vegetables. The far south of the province is a small section of arid desert.
Sixty percent of the province is forested, about 5% is arable, and 75% is mountainous. From the Pacific Coast to the arid interior to the high mountain ranges, bird watching in British Columbia offers a myriad of opportunities.
Mt Revelstoke National Park
National Parks in BC
British Columbia has seven national parks. Kootenay and Yoho National Parks are located on the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, and border Alberta parks. Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks are located in the sub-alpine interior.
Pacific Rim National Park is situated on the western coast of Vancouver Island, while Gulf Islands Park covers the islands in the Straight of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The remote Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site lies within the Queen Charlotte Islands.
BC Web Links
Where Do You Want To Go Birding in BC?
Vancouver Avian Research Centre
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Do you want to know what’s been seen, and where? Connect with other birders on a mailing list!
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VNHS has transferred the RBA to a new voicemail system. The new number is 250-704-2555, and is active now. As of February 1, the old number will be a thing of the past. Please update your speed dial numbers, directories, web pages and address books!
Ann Nightingale
Victoria, BC
I have changed the RBA phone number on my Birding BC page to your new one – thanks for letting me know!
Hello there, I was wondering if you can identify a bird for me. It is sparrow sized and can hover in mid air like a hummingbird. What it ate was spiders outside my window at my workplace.
Can you help identify please?
Thanks Brent
Although I don’t know for sure, I would guess that your bird is actually a house sparrow. They can hover for short periods, and have been seen doing just that to pick insects off window edges.