Blackbirds
Most popular are red-winged blackbirds, but also rusty & Brewer's blackbirds, common grackles, cowbirds and orioles.
Common Birds In Our Area
Below is a summary of the most popular backyard feeding birds in the Calgary area. For a very extensive list of all the birds found in the province, check out the list of confirmed birds in Alberta on Wikipedia.
Chickadees
Small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.
Finches
Very colourful, small birds including finches, grosbeaks, redpolls, siskins, and house sparrows.
Hummingbirds
Popular, small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Jays, Crows, Ravens and Magpies
The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays.
Nuthatches
Small woodland birds with the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet.
Sparrows
New world sparrows are a common, but diverse group of 28 varieties, best identified by their conical head.
Tanagers and Cardinals
The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages.
Waxwings
A group of passerine birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.
Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees, and long sticky tongues for extracting food. They are frequent visitors to suet feeders.