Bird Friendly Cities
What is a Bird Friendly City?
The Bird Friendly City certification program is a campaign by Nature Canada that aims to empower local groups to make positive change to protect bird populations in their city by reducing human-caused threats to birds, creating and protecting important habitat, educating and engaging the public on birds in their area, and more.
The City of Ottawa is not a certified Bird Friendly City. However, there is a dedicated team at Bird Friendly Ottawa, comprised of bird enthusiasts and nature lovers – just like you! Partnering with local experts and organizations who are already doing great work to protect Ottawa’s birds, they are working together as a collective to achieve their mission of creating a Bird Friendly Ottawa.
Birds play a critical role in Ottawa’s ecosystem and life: they distribute seeds, pollinate plants, maintain ecosystem health, and delight residents. Over 180 bird species nest in the Ottawa area, approximately 2 million individual birds nest in our urban area, and millions more migrate through annually. While the City of Ottawa has made several commitments to protecting birds, birds face a variety of threats in Ottawa, including from free-roaming cats, untreated glass, excessive exterior lighting, pesticide application, and habitat loss. Approximately 250,000 birds are killed in Ottawa annually in window collisions alone.