Dark-eyed junco soars to top in vote for Kitchener's official bird

The dark-eyed junco has been chosen as Kitchener's bird.

The results of Bird Friendly Kitchener's vote to find a bird to represent the city was announced Monday on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with guest host Joe Pavia.

"Kitchener was feeling like a cute underrated Sparrow," Bird Friendly Kitchener group member Meredith Blunt said.

"I think because the juncos are really lovely birds that spend their winters with us. They're backyard birds, they're in our parks, they're on our trail ways, and they sound like they're having conversations when we hear them and I think people are really familiar with them."

Selecting Kitchener's official bird was one of the first initiatives by the local group after the city was designated a Bird City, by Nature Canada earlier this year.

To earn Nature Canada's bird-friendly certification, the city has to prove they are working to reduce threats to birds by protecting and restoring natural habitat, and also engaging with the community about those efforts.

The month-long bird election saw 1,265 people vote for four feathered candidates including the Killdeer, Merlin, chimney swift and dark-eyed junco. 

The vote results were:

• Dark-eyed junco with 45 per cent of the vote.
• Merlin had 27.1 per cent.
• Chimney swift had 17.5 per cent.
• Killdeer had 10.3 per cent.

Voted for personal reasons

Jennifer Clary-Lemon, also a member of the same Bird Friendly Kitchener, admitted she was hoping the chimney swift would win.

"[It] is a species at risk in Canada and flies overhead on the regular here in downtown Kitchener," Clary-Lemon said.

"However, I think that what the junco tells us is that people really honour the relationships they have with birds and there's a lot of accessibility with the Junco because it keeps us company

The chimney swift is a migratory bird that lives in smokestacks and chimneys and are closely tied to a city's industrial past, according to Blunt.

The group says a number of exciting events are planned for 2025, and especially in the month of May to mark World Migratory Bird Day on May 10.

LISTEN | Kitchener now has an official bird. Meet the dark-eyed junco:

The Morning Edition - K-W7:43Kitchener now has an official bird. Meet the dark-eyed junco

What bird best represents Kitchener? Residents voted over the last month for one of four, local feathered friends. Meredith Blunt and Jennifer Clary-Lemon are with the group Bird Friendly Kitchener. They announced the winner on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition.