Bird of the Year

April Edition

Although the sound most associated with hummingbirds may be the buzzing of their wings, they do have a variety of calls! The song of the males is described as a series of “chips” at dawn, while a “chee-dit” is used during an interaction or pursuit. But even if you want to just focus on the noise of their wings, the humming of the male hummingbird's wings is louder and has a higher pitch than that of the female.

This is also a good time to urge you to mark Saturday, May 9th in your calendars! This will be Dorval’s third annual celebration of the spring World Migratory Bird Day, with several events taking place. All are welcome! We can’t guarantee you’ll see (or hear!) the ruby-throated hummingbird, but you will be in good company with other bird enthusiasts. Consult the city’s events page to find out more!

March Edition

All of the 350+ species of hummingbirds in the world are part of the Trochilidae family. For the ruby-throated hummingbird, the plumage differs between males and females, which is a phenomenon called dimorphism. The male ruby-throated hummingbird is bright metallic green on top, grayish white on the bottom, and has a forked tail. It has a magnificent throat patch, or throat spot, composed of silky ruby-red feathers called a gorget, which can sometimes appear orange or even jet black, depending on the light. The female is similar but has a grayish-white throat patch. Its tail is rounded and some of the outer tail feathers are marked with white spots. Hopefully this will help you tell females and males apart when spotting our bird of the year!

February Edition

The ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest migratory nesting bird in Quebec, with an average size between 7.5 and 9 centimeters. The population of this species of hummingbird is growing in Quebec. From 1989 to 2014, confirmed nesting sites increased by 30% and sightings by 70%! With its shiny plumage, precise flight, and remarkable metabolism, we look forward to sharing some fun facts about Dorval's new Bird of the Year throughout 2026.

December Edition

In winter, white-breasted nuthatches join flocks led by chickadees, titmice or downy woodpeckers to forage. This collective group is known as a “foraging guild”. This is beneficial for the nuthatch, since more birds means more eyes searching for food, and to keep a look out for predators. They are even capable of recognizing the alarm calls of these other species!

We hope that your appreciation of this local bird has grown throughout the year, and stay tuned for monthly information about the Dorval Bird of 2026!

November Edition

While nests are used for breeding (see May edition!), outside of the breeding season, white-breasted nuthatches roost in holes in trees, or behind loose bark. While nuthatches usually roost alone, in very cold weather, up to 29 birds have been recorded together. They also exhibit a very particular daily hygiene ritual – removing their feces from the roost every morning!

October Edition

If you want to attract a breeding pair of white-breasted nuthatches to a nest box, put it up well before the breeding season (mostly May and June, but can begin in April). Boxes will need a guard to keep out predators. Consult the Best Bird Practices guide for general information about birdhouses, or you can look up detailed information about specific birdhouse designs for white-breasted nuthatches (and building instructions). One valuable resource is the NestWatch website (available in English and Spanish only).

September Edition

White-breasted Nuthatches may be small, but their voices are not, and you can hear its nasal yank-yank call around Dorval in winter. Pairs keep in touch during the fall and winter with a repeated squeaky ‘nit’ call. Their song is a series of low whistled notes. In late winter and spring, males can make a low-pitched wha-wha-wha, which can be sung at a slower or faster rate. The faster version is thought to be used for attracting mates.

August Edition

One of the characteristics of White-breasted Nuthatches that they are well known for is how they move on trees. Specifically, how they are able to go up and down a tree upside down, or can hang upside-down beneath twigs and branches!

Their foot has one big toe (the hallux) that faces backward while the other three toes face forward. This enables them to walk headfirst down the trunks of trees by moving one foot at a time while the hallux toe on the other foot holds firmly onto the bark.

Keep an eye out for our bird-of-the-year to try and witness their movement yourself!

July Edition

White-breasted nuthatches have a single brood each year. Nestlings leave the nest after 14 to 26 days. Both the eggs and nestlings can be prey to woodpeckers, small squirrels, and climbing snakes. When a predator is near a nuthatch nest, parents will flick their wings and make a “hn-hn” call. They may also wipe the entrance of the nest with a piece of fur or vegetation, to mask their own scent, making it more difficult for predators to find the nest using their sense of smell.

White-breasted nuthatches have an average lifespan of two years. Predators to adults include owls and other birds of prey like the sharp shinned hawk and Cooper’s hawk.

June Edition

Once a year, the white-breasted nuthatch lays a clutch of 5-9 eggs, which are white with reddish-brown spots. The female will incubate the eggs for 12-14 days, during which time the male will feed her. Nuthatches are monogamous and the female rarely strays from its partner. They will stay in constant vocal contact when more than a few yards apart and will defend their territory throughout the year.

May Edition

Where can you expect to find white-breasted nuthatches? They generally nest in existing large, natural cavities or old woodpecker holes, usually 15-60 feet above ground. They do not excavate their own holes, so require mature or decaying trees with holes suitable for nesting, such as oak, beech or hickory. In fact, removing dead trees has been linked to declines in the species because of their dependence on these cavities for nesting. The nests themselves are cups of bark fibers, grasses, twigs and hairs, sometimes with a rim of mud at the entrance. Adults will sweep the nest with a crushed insect held in their bill to spread secretions that may repel predators such as squirrels.

April Edition

In the winter, white-breasted nuthatches have a diet that largely consists of seeds, but suet or peanut-butter mixtures at your feeders are also welcome! During summer months, while they continue to eat seeds, and fruits, from native plants, they mostly eat insects and spiders. Both parents will also feed these to their young.

March Edition

In late-winter, white-breasted nuthatches start their courtship behaviour. During courting, males will raise their head, spread their tail, and droop their wings, swaying back and forth and bowing deeply. A male may also feed the female, and of course, sing! White-breasted nuthatch couples will remain together for the year on their nesting territory and may even mate for life.

February Edition

Nuthatches are a common visitor to backyard bird feeders. They usually take a single sunflower seed and fly to a nearby tree where they wedge it into the bark. They then hack it open with repeated blows from their bill. They “hatch” out the seed from the inside and this might be how they got their name. They also use this technique to open large nuts or acorns they find and regularly store food items in bark crevices on their territory in fall and winter.

January Edition

Congratulations, Dorval, on having voted the white-breasted nuthatch as our City Bird of 2025!

Despite being small, this bird is far from timid, and feeds at local feeders year-round. With its unique ability to climb trees upside down, boundless energy, and love for our snowy winters, it's ready to proudly represent our community this year. Keep an eye out for it this winter and stay tuned for information about the white-breasted nuthatch each month in our Cyber-news and on our website under the Bird Committee header.

© Photo : Kevin Verreault

Information - Bird of the Year

April

Congratulations to Dorval citizens for electing the Northern Cardinal as our “Bird of 2024”! The Cardinal is iconic and the City’s only red bird. The female is pale brown but has the same big crest and large pink beak as the bright red male. 

Right now, the cardinals in our community are busy building nests and incubating eggs. The females are building the nests with an outer layer of twigs and a soft inner cup of bark strips, leaves, grass, and pine needles by stamping the material into place then turning and repeating to make a nest just their size. Then they lay two to five pale blue or green eggs with darker spots. 

April is an exciting time for observing birds, including during the City Nature Challenge, taking place from April 26 to 29. Dorval is encouraging participation during this event through the use of the community science tool iNaturalist. “Community science” tools (like iNaturalist and eBird) invite users to report bird observations and can offer valuable data for ecological studies and to guide conservation decisions. They also enable people to connect with nature while reaping the health benefits! If you see or hear a Northern Cardinal (or any other wildlife) upload your sightings to iNaturalist during the City Nature Challenge.

May

By now the first batch of cardinal eggs has hatched, and parents are busy feeding nestlings. They particularly love insects, especially juicy caterpillars! Most caterpillars cannot survive on anything but native plants, so planting native trees and plants in your garden can help cardinals! 

Chicks leave the nest in about 10 days, then are fed by the father for another month, while the mother sets to work building a new nest. Parents can raise up to four broods in a year, so breeding season for cardinals is long and busy! 

Saturday, May 18, is the Dorval Environment and Gardening Day during which compost, mulch, and native milkweed plants will be given away. The Dorval Horticultural Society will also be holding their annual perennial plant sale, which includes an offering of native plants.  

Also be sure to circle Saturday, May 11, on your calendar – it's the spring edition of World Migratory Bird Day! While cardinals do not migrate, many of the other birds we are fortunate to have in Dorval do, and a variety of events are taking place for the occasion.

June

Northern cardinals eat a varied diet of mostly seeds, flowers, and wild fruits, but they also consume insects, spiders, centipedes, and snails. They forage on the ground or in bushes and trees. The best way to attract cardinals to your yard is to provide good foraging and nesting sites. Grow native plants that provide food and habitat throughout the breeding season, such as American elderberry, wild cherries, wild grapes, and serviceberry (Amelanchier). 

You can find out more about bird-friendly gardening practices in the new “Best Bird Practices” guide that the Bird Committee has recently prepared. This guide has a variety of tips and additional resources with more information about how to reduce risks for birds, maintain feeders, and other considerate practices.

July

To get better acquainted with our “bird of 2024”, we should look at how Northern Cardinals communicate! And the logical question to then ask is - why do birds sing? They do so primarily to mark their territory and attract mates. But they can also use it to protect their families, to defend their space and to demonstrate they are healthy and present. 

Birds have two well-known forms of communication: a call, which is often short and rapid, which they use when on the move or to communicate with each other, and a song, which is longer and more complex, which they use to make their presence known. The Northern Cardinal's song is omnipresent in urban areas in the summer, and various examples can be heard at the following website. 

Male Cardinals may sing to defend nesting territory, and attack intruding males (or possibly his own reflection in windows and mirrors). The male's song is easy to recognize, generally powerful and long, and distinctive for its whistled "cheer, cheer, cheer" or "birdie, birdie, birdie". 

The female Cardinal is one of the only female birds that sings, mainly in spring, but also while sitting on the nest. Perhaps this gives the male information about when to bring food to the nest? It might also alert the male as to whether there are predators nearby. Singing can also be a part of courtship for Northern Cardinals, which we will discuss next month!

August

March, May, June, and July are the mating periods of Northern Cardinals. The female will sing in spring before she starts nesting. Males will try to attract females by raising their head high, swaying back and forth, perhaps to display their feathers, and singing softly. Male Cardinals will also feed the females seeds in a method known as “beak to beak”. It gives the impression that the Cardinals are kissing.

A mated pair of Northern Cardinals may sing similar songs. They are considered “monogamous”, as they usually mate for a year or longer, and sometimes for life. However, “divorces” can occur, and if one bird of the pair dies, the other will quickly look for a new mate.

September

Cardinal nests, mostly built by the female, are open cups with a messy layer of coarse twigs on the outside, then a soft inner cup of bark strips, leaves, grass, and pine needles, shaped by the female as she turns in the nest as she works, wrapping the material into place with her feet. This often takes three to nine days to complete! They do not use nesting boxes (bird houses) and usually hide their nest in dense shrubs, vines, or low trees, around three to ten feet above the ground. 

The eggs are pale blue or light green, with brown, purple, or gray markings. The female cardinal incubates the eggs, while the male can bring food. The first set of two to five eggs is usually laid in March or April, with up to four broods being produced throughout the year, typically ending in mid-August. Cardinals do not reuse their nests. 

Chicks hatch in about 11 to 13 days and leave the nest nine or ten days later. Both parents will feed them for about a month, however, on a diet of mostly insects. This highlights the importance of providing native trees and plants that can host insects such as butterflies, whose caterpillars are a valuable food source. The male may continue to feed the fledglings while the female begins building the next nest.

October

In late summer and early fall after the breeding season has ended and while food is still abundant, northern cardinals molt their feathers and grow new ones. During this time, it is possible that you will see a bald-looking cardinal! For most birds, feathers are lost a few at a time or as new feathers replace the old ones.  But cardinals often lose all or nearly all of their head feathers at once. Their feathers will grow back within a few weeks. This is an energy intensive time of year so they will need to eat plenty of food.

Cardinals are in fact our only red bird with a crest. The female is duller, but shares the crest, and large pink bill, with a longish tail. 

But why are they red? It is thanks to their diet, which consists of carotenoid-rich fruits and berries.  To help them keep their colour, you can keep native fruit trees and bushes in your backyard such as wild grapes, raspberries, apple trees or dogwood berries which are very popular with them.  If the cardinal is unable to find berries, their colour will gradually begin to fade. On rare occasions when there is a lack of red pigment in the feathers of these birds, it can be replaced by a yellow-orange colour and you might see a yellow cardinal!

November

As mentioned last month, carotenoid-rich fruits and berries help give cardinals their vibrant red plumage. In addition to planting options in your yard, the right choice of seed in your feeders can help attract and nourish cardinals!

Cardinals are particularly fond of sunflower seeds, but you can also include safflower seeds if you want to add variety. Safflower seeds are another source of carotenoids. For more details on feeders, including placement and maintenance tips, check out our Best Bird Practices guide, which has a section dedicated to this topic.

While many birds migrate for the winter, Northern cardinals do not, so you can keep your feeder active year-round! Be sure to look into seasonal feed types and maintenance practices, as weather and birds' nutritional needs shift throughout the year.

Some cardinals stay within their breeding territories year-round, while others roost communally in flocks during winter. Here, we’re at the northern edge of their range, so you may not see cardinals much further north, but they can be found as far south as Belize! Despite this range, our local cardinals are still classified as Northern cardinals to distinguish them from other cardinal species further south.

December

As our “Year of the Northern cardinal” winds down, here are some fun, miscellaneous pieces of information about the Northern cardinal to end 2024.

Cardinals have been known to practice “anting”, which is when they can be found with ants, or other insects, crawling all over them. But don’t be alarmed, this is believed to help protect the cardinal from harmful parasites due to formic acid secreted by the ants! 

The cardinal has been gradually expanding its nesting range. It was first observed in Ontario in 1901 at Pointe-Pelee, and the first recorded sighting in Quebec was only in 1964. In the Montreal region, it was only in the 1980s that cardinals began to be seen! 

The oldest recorded Northern cardinal was 15 years and 9 months old (but their average lifespan is 3 to 5 years).

The bright red plumage of the Northern cardinal was the inspiration for its common name, which is a reference to the robes and caps worn by Roman Catholic Church cardinals. 

Due to a very rare genetic mutation, some Northern cardinals, despite their diet, will never be red, and remain orange-yellow. 

While not really fact, a bright red cardinal contrasting against a snowy landscape is a picturesque image we can all appreciate. Thank you for reading up on this beautiful bird throughout the year and for your interest in our local biodiversity!