Official bird revealed for City of Windsor

The City of Windsor has announced its official bird.

The Tufted Titmouse, a songbird often spotted at Ojibway Park, was announced as the city’s bird on Wednesday.

The city teamed up with Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) to kick off birding season in Windsor-Essex at the Ojibway Prairie Complex with two special announcements.The second announcement was TWEPI launched its birding guide.The city teamed up with Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) to kick off birding season at the Ojibway Prairie Complex in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Windsor was recently named Canada’s 16th Bird-Friendly City by Nature Canada, receiving the designation for implementing bird-friendly policies and actions to help birds thrive in the city.

“As Windsor continues on the path to working with upper levels of government and stakeholders to create the Ojibway National Urban Park, it is more important than ever to highlight some of the animal and plant species, including the Tufted Titmouse, that make this area incredibly unique to this region, and in Canada,” says mayor Drew Dilkens.

The Tufted Titmouse is a unique songbird with strong ties to oak woodland and oak savanna. As such, Windsor is one of the few places in Canada that this very social and vocal bird can call home. In Canada, this bird is only found in Southern Ontario.

“The Tufted Titmouse's range has been expanding across Southern Ontario, and as such they remind us of the importance of urban bird stewardship, monitoring, and awareness,” says Autumn Jordan, urban nature organizer, Nature Canada.

The city parks department says they look forward to continued collaboration on events and initiatives, and to highlighting and celebrating the Tufted Titmouse.

“The Parks Department proudly invites residents and visitors, including bird enthusiasts, to experience over 200 parks and 170-plus kilometres of multi-use trails, plus over 2,500 acres of greenspace,” says James Chacko, executive director of parks and facilities.

The birds make their nests in natural holes and cavities left by woodpeckers. These birds can be found in the oak woodland natural areas that are unique to Windsor, such as Optimist Memorial Park and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.

As part of TWEPI’s annual Best of Windsor Essex Awards process this year, residents nominated and voted on five finalists. The Tufted Titmouse scored high with residents and received City support from Parks due to it being unique to the community, and it beat out the Peregrine Falcon, Common Nighthawk, Black-capped Chickadee, and the Northern Cardinal.

Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island’s New Birding Guide

TWEPI was on hand to launch the new Birding Guide – the premier resource for birding in Windsor and Essex County, from the avid birder to the amateur.

“The Tufted Titmouse, a songbird often spotted at Ojibway Park and other nature centres, is prominently featured on the cover of this year’s guide, and through this initiative, we look forward to drawing more visitation to the area from outdoor aficionados, including our fine feathered friends,” says TWEPI CEO Gordon Orr.

In the guide, visitors and locals alike can learn more about why we are a birding migration mecca, which species they can see, and where to spot them as they explore our destination throughout the year. In addition, the guide also profiles birding all season long, monarch butterfly season, and birding-inspired gifts to purchase as you explore our natural areas.

The guide is created in consultation with TWEPI’s partners at Ojibway Nature Centre, Essex Region Conservation Authority, Pelee Island Bird Observatory and Parks Canada. A digital edition of the Birding Guide is available at www.visitwindsoressex.com/birding.