Canada. Home of the polar bears, the Maple leaf, beavers, cold weather, polite people (and I could continue), and…the Gray jay.
Out of the above list, odds are your brain was able to associate an image with each item, with the exemption of the last… the Gray jay. Until a couple of days ago I too had no idea that this aviator lives in Canada, let alone that it even exists, but turns out it does and it does an excellent job of it too.
As of 16 days ago, the Gray Jay became Canada’s top pic for national bird (based on a poll completed by the National Geographic for the National Bird Project) Before finding out this information, I had always thought that the Canada goose was our national bird, but turns out we had never had one officially, and in the a radio questionnaire many people expressed how they wanted our national bird to be anything BUT the Canada goose… Interestingly enough, the other top options for National bird consisted of the Snowy owl and the Loon, the Black Capped chickadee, and despite popular opinion, the Canada goose. Ultimately, after a panel of experts looked into the contenders, the Gray jay was chosen.
So why is this outwardly average, yet extremely adorable, creature now a national symbol? In my mind, anything which is named a symbol of Canada has got to be pretty qualified.
Although at first I was extremely confused about the significance of this fluffy little bird, after doing some research I agree that the Grey Jay is indeed deserving of our country, and it suits Canada well. The Gray jay is well known for being amongst the most intelligent of birds, as well as quite friendly, both of which are traits applicable to Canadians. Unlike many other birds who fly away in winter, the Gray jay sticks around and chooses to thrive in the cold, making the best of it’s conditions. (very much like we Canadians!) Another important and interesting addition to the Gray jay’s profile is that it is also named the Whiskeyjack/Wiskedjak bird amongst First Nations cultures, and is included in many indigenous stories.
The Gray jay is actually quite a magnificent bird, when you combine it’s friendliness, hardiness, and symbolism to Canada. Here it is in official!
