Birds

Of the 454 bird species recorded in British Columbia [1], 300 breed within the province (the most of any province or territory), and of these, 35 species nest nowhere else in Canada. The lower mainland is a migration stop for the million-odd birds that travel the Pacific Flyway each year. Huge populations of waterfowl winter at Boundary Bay near Vancouver [2], and large concentrations can also be seen around Fort St. James, Cranbrook [3], Prince George, and Lac La Hache. The province is home to half of the world’s populations of both trumpeter swans and blue grouse, as well as a quarter of the world’s bald eagles. You’ll see beautiful Canada and snow geese, trumpeter and whistling swans, and all kinds of ducks.

British Columbia’s official bird is the often-cheeky, vibrant blue-and-black Steller’s jay, found throughout the province.