Birds of Alberta Alberta Specialties
Provincial Bird Great-horned Owl
- Great-horned owl
- Chestnut-collared longspur
- Whooping crane
- Saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow
- Short-billed dowitcher
- Grey jay
- Common tern
- White-winged crossbill
- Alder flycatcher
- Swainson’s hawk
- Green-winged teal
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Clay-coloured sparrow
- Three-toed woodpecker
- Peregrine falcon
- Le Contes sparrow
- Marbled godwit
- Burrowing owl
385 species in 44 families
Alberta is the westernmost of Canada’s prairie provinces, and borders the US state of Montana to the south; the Saskatchewan to the east; and the Northwest Territories to the north. To the west, its border with British Columbia follows the range of the Rocky Mountains along the continental divide.
Roughly half of the southwestern section is dominated by the Rocky Mountains and their foothills. The foothills form a link between mountain and prairie landscapes, and feature both forested areas and grasslands.
The remainder of the province forms part of the interior plain of North America, which includes the boreal forest, the aspen parkland transitional zone and vast stretches of northern muskeg. Moving east, the land gently rolls through the foothills into the great plains.
Alberta is a location for boreal forest birds in the north, mountain birds in the west, grassland birds in the southeast and a general mix of all of the above throughout the province. The Rocky Mountains provide a migrating raptor highway each spring and fall.
Rare Bird Alert Hotlines
Edmonton & Northern Alberta (780) 433-2473
Calgary & Southern Alberta (403) 237-8821
Alberta Web Links
Federation of Alberta Naturalists
Where Do You Want To Go Birding in Alberta?
Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation
Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation
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Hi Linda – I remember watching white pelicans on Sturgeon Lake when I was a youngster, as we were out there every weekend. Brown pelicans though, are only found along the coasts of the USA so I’m not sure what you’ve been seeing.
We have 5 American pelicans out on Sturgeon lake, AB we enjoyed watching them fish and fly yesterday… We have only ever seen brown pelicans here.
Saw around 25 white winged crossbills at my house west of Calgary. They pick up lots of spruce cones, fly up onto a branch and pick apart the cone. Feb 5/2011