About the Program

Nature Canada has developed a certification standard to certify eligible cities as a “Bird Friendly City”, to recognize and celebrate the contributions they have made to save bird lives in their municipalities. The goal of certification is to provide local partners with a clear standard that reflects what a city needs to do to make it safe for birds. Certification is a badge of honor and a source of community pride. It tells the world that your city or town does things to help birds and reverse their declines in your own backyard. We are looking towards World Migratory Bird Day 2022 as a timeline to certify at least thirty eligible Canadian cities as a Bird Friendly City.

Saving bird lives starts with local action! Across Canada, people are coming together to make their cities bird friendly.

Nature groups, municipal officials, and other community groups are teaming up with Nature Canada to ensure our urban environments are safe havens for birds rather than a source of threats. From predation by domestic cats, to window and car collisions, cities and towns present many preventable hazards to birds.

A Bird Friendly City is a community where:

• Key threats to birds are effectively mitigated;
• Nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive;
• Residents are actively engaged in admiring and monitoring local bird populations;
• Organizations are creating events to protect birds;
• Progressive municipal policies are created to protect urban bird populations; and
• A Bird Team has been created to oversee and lead these initiatives.