Let’s make Ottawa bird friendly!
Birds play a critical role in Ottawa’s ecosystem and life: they distribute seeds, pollinate plants, maintain ecosystem health, and delight residents. Approximately 2 million individual birds nest in our urban area, comprising over 180 bird species, and millions more migrate through annually.
The City of Ottawa has made several commitments to protecting birds:
- To implement sustainable design practices and technologies to protect wildlife (Official Plan 4.6.4, 11.1)
- To protect the City’s natural environment (Official Plan 4.8.1)
- To adopt an “ecosystem perspective” to facilitate and foster a more harmonious relationship with all wildlife (Wildlife Strategy)
Yet birds face a variety of threats in Ottawa, including from free-roaming cats, untreated glass, excessive exterior lighting, pesticide application, and habitat loss. In fact, approximately 250,000 birds are killed in Ottawa annually from window collisions alone.
The City adopted Bird-Safe Design Guidelines in 2022, but these are merely guidelines; they impose no obligation for their implementation.
With several of our partners, we're calling on the City of Ottawa to obtain Bird-Friendly City status, a certification from Nature Canada. Join us by signing our petition to protect Ottawa's birds.
Image: A Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), photo by Ryan Sanderson.