Gatineau earns top bird-friendly city status

Tashi Farmilo

Gatineau has been officially certified as a Bird-Friendly City, earning the highest level of recognition from Nature Canada. Announced on November 27, the designation makes Gatineau the first major city in Quebec to achieve the status and one of only two large Canadian cities to reach the top tier, alongside London, Ontario.

The certification caps several years of coordinated work by municipal staff, conservation groups and community volunteers. The Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais has been involved since 2020 and helped prepare the detailed evidence required for the city’s application. The organization’s activities, monitoring projects and educational programs counted directly toward the score Gatineau received.

The recognition came the same year Gatineau adopted a new bird emblem. The Pileated Woodpecker is now the official emblem bird of the city, selected through a public vote. Among five candidate species, the Pileated Woodpecker won decisively with 1,312 votes. Its prominence in local forests and its striking appearance made it a popular choice, strengthening Gatineau’s identity as a city closely connected to its natural surroundings.

Bird Friendly City certification evaluates how municipalities respond to the most common urban threats to birds. These include habitat loss, collisions with windows, predation by free-roaming cats, pesticide exposure, plastic pollution and artificial light at night. Cities must demonstrate that they have implemented real and measurable actions across these areas.

Gatineau’s submission documented a broad range of initiatives. These included habitat conservation, window treatments on selected buildings to reduce collisions, responsible pet management, neighbourhood greening with native plant species, reductions in light and plastic pollution, tighter pesticide rules and public workshops and outings focused on birds and biodiversity. The city and its partners have also worked on species-specific measures for chimney swifts, swallows and grassland birds, which have experienced significant declines across Canada.

Local advocates say the recognition reflects a deepening awareness of the ecological and cultural value of birds. More than 320 species have been recorded in Gatineau, and many contribute to essential ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal, forest regeneration, fertilization and natural pest control. Research has also shown that observing and hearing birds can support human well-being, a benefit that residents experience throughout the year.

Although the certification signals that Gatineau has built a strong foundation, the program is designed to motivate ongoing efforts. Community groups note that residents can help by planting native vegetation, reducing outdoor lighting at night, keeping cats indoors and joining community science projects such as local bird counts.

The Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais said the essence of the certification is simple and rooted in everyday life. As president Jean Marc Emery put it, “In Gatineau, thousands of birds provide us with free services every day without asking for anything in return except that we stop harming them and causing their decline. The certification is very good news for the birds, but also for Gatineau and its residents."