Tag Archives: Canada

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Bird Symbols of Canada

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Part Three – Nova Scotia

Provincial Bird: Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

The Nova Scotia House of Assembly adopted the Western Osprey in local Statute, via the “Provincial Bird Act 1994”, which is described as “An Act to Declare the Osprey to be the Bird Emblem of Nova Scotia”. The Act simply has one clause, to declare the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as the bird emblem of the Province.  

The Canadian Government website which describes the Provincial Emblems, has this to say about the Osprey:

“This bird of prey is larger than a hawk and smaller than an eagle. Its main source of food is fish, and it can often be seen flying over oceans, rivers and lakes. Ospreys migrate south in the winter. Older birds return north to mate, while younger birds stay south until they mature.”

The Osprey is also plentiful on bird stamps.  Unfortunately, there are not many Canadian issues that feature the Nova Scotia bird emblem, but here are the two where the Osprey is the main object:

2000 Birds of Canada

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Bird Symbols of Canada

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Part 1 – Ontario

Provincial Bird: The Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Ontario adopted the Common Loon as its official bird on 23 June 1994.  This choice is rather appropriate, given that lakes and rivers make up one fifth of the geographical area of the province. About this bird, the Canada Government website states:

“Found in lakes and rivers across the province, the loon’s eerie call is associated with the beauty and solitude of Ontario’s wilderness. The loon can dive to depths of 70 metres in search of food, and stay under water for three minutes.”

The Common Loon has appeared on several bird stamps issued by Canada Post. The first of these, issued in 1998, was from a set of two (the second featured a polar Bear) and the design artwork was done by Alain Leduc et Steven Slipp, with engraving done by Martin Mörck.

Fast forward then to 2012, when the Common loon appeared on a definitive stamp based on the theme of “Baby Animals”. The stamp below is a self-adhesive and was also printed in a booklet of six stamps.

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