Bird Friendly City: A Certification Program
In the last 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25%. Three billion of our birds, including common species that live in our towns and cities, are gone. This is massive.
We can reverse this trend with coordinated, science-backed action. Is your city bird friendly?
About the Program
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.
About the Program
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.
Certified Bird Friendly Cities
The following Canadian cities have been certified as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada. This means that they have met or exceeded a minimum standard with regard to reducing threats to birds in their municipality, protecting and restoring natural habitat and increasing climate resiliency; and actively engaging their community in these actions through education and outreach.
The certification level awarded to the cities responds to the lowest level attained in the three categories of the Bird Friendly City Criteria. For example, if a city scores “High” level in 2 of the 3 categories but “Entry” level in the third, the final level of certification that said city would attain would be “Entry”.
Certified Bird Friendly Cities
The following Canadian cities have been certified as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada. This means that they have met or exceeded a minimum standard with regard to reducing threats to birds in their municipality, protecting and restoring natural habitat and increasing climate resiliency; and actively engaging their community in these actions through education and outreach.
The certification level awarded to the cities responds to the lowest level attained in the three categories of the Bird Friendly City Criteria. For example, if a city scores “High” level in 2 of the 3 categories but “Entry” level in the third, the final level of certification that said city would attain would be “Entry”.
Save Our Birds
Canada’s birds need your help. There are three billion fewer birds in North America today than 50 years ago. Much of these losses are caused by human activities – from predation by domestic cats, to window and car collisions.
Birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy and resilient ecosystems in our communities and our planet, cities and towns present many hazards to birds.
Nature Canada teams up with nature groups, municipal officials, and other community stakeholders to ensure our urban environments are safe havens for birds rather than a source of threats.
How to Help
Want to learn how to make your city bird friendly?
Whether you are interested in calling on the government to help birds or want to share our messages, every little bit helps. When you sign up you will receive updates on our work with bird conservation and current projects with plenty of opportunity to get involved!
