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Researchers have discovered that birds have the ability to see ultraviolet (UV) light, which humans cannot. This could explain how, when a white egg looks like every other white egg to us, birds can see distinctive markings and can tell which ones have their chicks.

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To find out what birds you might see at your winter feeder check out this list of the top ten bird species that stick around for the winter. Since some species tend to be picky eaters, we have listed them based on their favourite types of seeds and nuts.

Black oil sunflower seeds

10. Black-capped chickadees

9. White-breasted nuthatches

8. Finches (house, purple)

7. Northern cardinals

6. Blue jays (also really like cracked corn)

Nyjer seeds

5. American goldfinches

4. Common redpolls (if you have birch trees nearby common redpolls will eat birch seeds too)

Suet

3. White-breasted nuthatches

2. Brown creepers

Cedar berries

1. Cedar waxwings

*Bird Feeder Tip! Try to avoid using seed mixes that contain millet because some birds won’t eat millet, which means the seeds will geminate as weeds on the ground the next spring. Black oil sunflower seeds (not striped sunflower seeds) and suet will usually attract the largest diversity of birds to your winter feeder.

Have you spotted any birds in your neighbourhood? Comment below to share your bird sightings!

Look for For the Birds in the Mission section in the Earth Rangers App!

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Your Mission: Build a backyard bird feeder to help our bird buddies!

Accept the For the Birds Mission in the Earth Rangers App today to get started! We’ll give you a Mission Brief filled with tips and tricks to make your bird feeder, plus downloadables like a tracking sheet you can use to keep a watchful eye on your special visitors.

Did you know that Canada is home to millions of migratory birds? Every spring and fall the shores of Lake Ontario welcome hundreds of thousands of birds as they make their way to and from their final destinations. They often arrive hungry and exhausted after a long flight, but thanks to the Flyway Habitat Project, they get to come back to an amazing migratory bird habitat! The Ash Grove cement plant on Lake Ontario’s shoreline partnered with Credit Valley Conservation to create habitats full of woodland trees and shrubs, thickets full of juicy berries, peaceful meadow and grassland areas hopping with insects, and cozy new birdhouses for a ton of different bird species. This awesome habitat has everything migratory birds need to rest and refuel, but their journey doesn’t end there – that’s why it’s so important you help them along right from your own backyard!

What birds have you spotted at your feeder? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Don’t be fooled by their musical chipping call, ospreys are a powerful bird of prey that dominates the top of the food chain. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and Canada is lucky to be the home for about one third of the world’s osprey population.     

It’s Looking a Bit Eyrie

Did you know that ospreys have cottages too? Well, not exactly. Every spring, osprey will start their yearly migration to Canada, sometimes flying as much as 5,000 km a day! And with a wingspan that reaches over one meter long, this migration is a piece of cake!

Ospreys will return to the same nesting site, or eyrie, every year. But after almost a year of neglect, they have to spend some time tidying up the nest. Being the resourceful animals they are, ospreys will use any objects they can find to maintain their home. Usually twigs, grasses, and moss are used to patch up any holes, but some ospreys have even been spotted using hula-hoops, rag dolls, and pieces of a lawnmower. In the end, most nests are around 1-2 meters wide, and weigh over 300 lbs!

Gold Medal Diver

I have to admit, ospreys know how to pick a prime location for a nest. You can usually find them at the top of the tallest tree near a body of water, like a lake or river. This gives them quick and easy access to their favourite food…fish! Ospreys have amazing eyesight and can spot a fish from the air around 40 meters away. In an incredible display of strength, they will dive from the sky with wings closed and feet stretched forward and hit the water with extreme force. After disappearing under the surface, they reappear with a fish firmly clutched in their talons.

Now I don’t know about you, but holding a slippery and squirming fish can be quite challenging. Well, fortunately, ospreys don’t have that problem! They have spines on the bottom of their feet and a toe that rotates, so they are able to get a good grip before flying away with their food. In fact, ospreys are so good at fishing, they can catch a fish in about one out of four dives!

Ospreys are pretty amazing animals, and we want to do what we can to make sure they have a safe place to call home. That’s why we’re working with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority on the Meadoway Project, which will create a huge habitat through Toronto filled with everything the osprey needs to survive.

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In collaboration with:

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Adopt an animal and more in the App!

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Meet the Canada warbler!

This small yellow and grey songbird weighs just 9-13 grams or about as much as 6 playing cards. They eat mostly insects, especially flies, but they have been known to also eat spiders, snails, worms and sometimes fruit.

They were first discovered in Canada (hence their name) but they don’t spend all year here. During the winter, they will fly all the way down to South America to get away from the cold. Then, when the weather warms up, they fly north and settle down in Canada or northern United States.

Both the Canada goose and the Canada warbler spend at least part of the year living in the boreal forest. They are just 2 of the over 200 bird species that rely on this forest to survive.

If we want to keep our feathery friends healthy, we need to be careful about how we use our forests, and the Canadian forestry sector is on the job! They make sure we aren’t cutting down too many trees and we’re leaving the forest in good shape for birds and other animals. Not only that, they also protect and restore bird habitat, and work with conservation groups to conduct bird surveys and map their populations. The Canadian forestry sector is making sure that working forests work for birds!

Which Canada bird do you think is cooler:
Canada warbler or Canada goose?

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1) White-cheeked Turaco

2) White Crested Duck

3) Royal Flycatcher

4) Collard Aracari

5) Crowned Crane

6) Emu

7) Eurasian Hoopoe

8) Hoatzin

9) Marabout

10) Secretary bird

Super Secret Bonus Word Scramble!

Gasp! What’s this?! You have discovered a super secret bonus word scramble. Can you unscramble the words and figure out the code? HINT! Each of the words can be found somewhere in this blog post. When you’ve got the code, put it in the code vault in the Earth Rangers App to get 10 bonus points!

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1) Ecuador: Andean Condor

2) Malaysia: Rhinoceros Hornbill

3) New Zealand: Kiwi

4) Angola: Red crested Turaco

5) Trinidad and Tobago: Scarlet Ibis

6) Peru: Andean cock-of-the-rock

7) Nepal: Lophophorus

8) Kiribati: Magnificent Frigatebird

9) Guatemala: Quetzal

10) Antigua and Barbuda: Frigate

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Grumble! Rumble! Growl! Was that the furnace?! No it was just your stomach. You must be really hungry! Better head on over to the kitchen and grab something to eat.

It might be easy for you to satisfy your hunger with a fridge full of food but for animals that have to hunt or search for their food it can be a little tough. Imagine being a frog without insects, a koala without eucalyptus, a shark without fish, or a bird without enough seeds. We’re getting hungry just thinking about it!

Well, today is your day to be an animal helper. When you choose to accept your For the Birds Mission, you will be making an important difference by helping hungry birds have enough to eat!

Hungry Birds

Did you know that birds turn food into energy at a faster rate than most other animals? In other words, they get hungry more often. Part of the reason for this is that it takes a lot of energy to fly. Hummingbirds, for example, flap their wings 80 times in one second! If you think that’s hard work, many small songbirds fly up to 9,600 km to get from the spot where they spend the winter to where they breed in the summer!

It’s not just migrating songbirds that could use a little help finding food after their long journey. Non-migratory birds, like black-capped chickadees and some species of finches, tough it out during the winter by staying here instead of flying south where it is warm. It can be hard for these birds to find food, especially in really cold, snowy winters or if seeds are in short supply due to a bad storm at other times of the year.

Snack Time

Putting out a little extra food can make a big difference for hungry birds. That’s why we want you to build a bird feeder so that together we can learn what birds are in the area where you live!

When you accept this mission, you’ll be able to download the For the Birds Mission Brief with instructions for a spring/summer (April – October) and fall/winter feeder (November – March), tips and tricks, a bird tracking sheet and a skill-testing bird quiz.

Help Wanted

Scientists need your help! By keeping track of the birds that visit your feeder and reporting your findings through EarthRangers.com/missions, you will help scientists learn more about the birds in your area. If all Earth Rangers do this it will give scientists a glimpse of bird population size and behaviour from all over the country! When people help, scientists have access to a lot more information from places they couldn’t visit on their own and use it to learn how to better protect our feathered friends.

What You Have to do to Complete your For the Birds Mission:

1. Accept your For the Birds Mission and download your Mission Brief.

2. Build your bird feeder and wait for the birds to find your feeder. Be patient because this might take a few days.

3. While you are waiting, test your bird knowledge by completing the “How much do you know about birds?” quiz.

4. After you’ve had your first bird visitor, use the handy tracking sheet to record each species and number of birds that visit your feeder for two weeks. Once birds find your feeder, they will keep coming back to look for food so make sure your feeder is topped up with fresh seeds every month.

5. Go to EarthRangers.com/missions, report your findings and get your For the Birds Mission badge for your Achievement Wall.

What Happens if You Don’t See Any Birds?

It might be because the birds couldn’t find your feeder. Try moving it to a new location.

Were you very patient but still no birds came to your feeder? We want to know that too because it is valuable information! Let us know when you report your findings on EarthRangers.com/missions.

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

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