dan kellar
Kitchener, ON – With a unanimous vote on Monday, Kitchener’s council declared the dark-eyed junco as the “official bird” of the city. The vote came on the heels of a public delegation from Meredith Blunt, of Bird Friendly City Kitchener. Blunt helped run the City Bird Poll which occurred in November and December 2024.
With 1265 votes cast in the poll, the dark-eyed junco, also known as the Junco Hyemalis, had 45.1% of the vote. The subspecies most likely to be seen around Kitchener is the Slate-coloured dark-eyed junco.
City staff also recommended the designation of the dark-eyed junco, noting it builds on Kitchener’s “Bird Friendly City” status, and aligns with the city’s strategic plan under the “Cultivating a Green City Together” heading.
This show features the delegation from Meredith Blunt, as well as a question and comments from councillors. Blunt is hosting birding walks and talks at City Hall’s pop-up space Sq. Peg on Wednesdays through Sundays all through May.
Audio of dark-eyed junco by Matthias Sirch and Doug Hynes from Wiki Commons: xeno-canto. Used under Creative-Commons licence 4.0;
