Never underestimate the humble corvid.
Little known fact: Canada does not (yet) have a national bird. An ornithologist by the name of David Bird (no, really, I wouldn’t make that up—too obvious) has launched a campaign to fill this void. Candidates included the following:
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- Common Loon (Sort of leading with the national chin, n’est pas?)
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- Canada Goose (A little obvious)
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- Snowy Owl (Strong contender)
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- Black-capped Chickadee (kind of a little guy for such a big country)
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- Gray Jay (Ultra badass)
And the Winner is….the Gray Jay!
Gray Jay, aka Whiskey Jay, aka Canada Jay. Photo: The Weather Network
Yes, once again a corvid triumphs, which is the only correct answer. Fun facts about the Gray Jay, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
The deceptively cute Gray Jay is one of the most intrepid birds in North America, living in northern forests year-round and rearing chicks in the dark of winter. Highly curious and always on the lookout for food, Gray Jays eat just about anything, from berries to small animals. They may even land on your hand to grab a raisin or peanut. During summer they hoard food in trees to sustain themselves through bleak winters.
So congratulations to our neighbors to the North for a well-contested election with qualified candidates from which the best bird won.