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List of birds of Quebec facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Bubo scandiacus (Linnaeus, 1758) Male
The snowy owl is the official bird of Quebec.

This is a list of all the different kinds of birds you can find in Quebec, a province in Canada. This list comes from the Checklist of the Birds of Quebec by Regroupement QuébecOiseaux (RQ), updated in April 2021. There are 471 bird species on this list. Some birds are "casual" visitors, meaning they don't usually live or migrate through Quebec regularly. A few species were "introduced" by humans, and four species are now extinct.

The birds are organized by their scientific families, following the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). We use Canadian English spellings for their common names.

Here are some special tags you'll see:

  • (C) Casual: These birds don't breed in Quebec and aren't regular visitors.
  • (I) Introduced: These birds were brought to North America by people.

Birds of Quebec

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are great at living in water. They have webbed feet, flat bills, and special oily feathers that repel water.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

This family includes pheasants and grouse. These birds live on land and are usually plump with short, wide wings. Many are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are freshwater diving birds. They have special lobed toes that help them swim and dive very well. Their feet are set far back on their bodies, so they are clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with plump bodies, short necks, and thin bills. They eat seeds, fruits, and plants. Uniquely, both male and female pigeons and doves produce "crop milk" to feed their young.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos and roadrunners. These birds vary in size and have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.

Nightjars and Allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Their soft feathers are colored to help them blend in with bark or leaves.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and almost never land on the ground. They perch only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings.

Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds famous for hovering in mid-air by flapping their wings very fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward!

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

This large family includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They are small to medium-sized birds that live in dense plants near water. They are usually shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, good for walking on soft ground.

Cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. Unlike herons, cranes fly with their necks stretched out. Many cranes have loud and fancy courtship dances.

Stilts and Avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts. They are large wading birds. Avocets have long legs and bills that curve upwards. Stilts have very long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, easy-to-spot, and noisy birds. They have strong bills that they use to smash open or pry apart molluscs.

Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short necks, and long, pointed wings. They live in open areas, often near water.

Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large family of shorebirds, including sandpipers, curlews, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Their different leg and bill lengths allow many species to feed in the same areas without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and jaegers are medium to large birds, often grey or brown. They have longish bills with hooked tips and webbed feet. They are strong, agile fliers.

Auks, Murres, and Puffins

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

Alcids look a bit like penguins with their black and white colors and upright posture. However, they can fly! Auks live on the open sea and only come to land to nest.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are medium to large seabirds, usually grey or white with black markings. They have strong, longish bills and webbed feet.

Loons

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons are aquatic birds, about the size of a large duck. They are mostly grey or black with pointed bills. Loons swim and fly well, but they are very awkward on land because their legs are at the back of their bodies.

Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

Albatrosses are among the largest flying birds. The great albatrosses have the biggest wingspans of any living bird.

Southern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

Storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds. They eat tiny sea creatures and small fish from the water's surface, often while hovering. They fly with quick, fluttering movements.

Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

These storm-petrels look and act much like the southern storm-petrels. However, they have enough genetic differences to be in their own family.

Shearwaters and Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

This group includes medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together and a long outer primary feather on their wings.

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong bills. They have wide wings. Storks do not have a voice box, so they are silent.

  • Wood stork (tantale d'Amérique), Mycteria americana (C)

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds found over tropical oceans. They are mostly black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. Males have colorful throat pouches that can inflate. They can stay in the air for over a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

This family includes gannets and boobies. Both are medium-large coastal seabirds that dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

  • Brown booby (fou brun), Sula leucogaster (C)
  • Northern gannet (fou de Bassan), Morus bassanus

Cormorants and Shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large water birds, usually with dark feathers and colored skin on their faces. Their bills are long, thin, and hooked. They have four webbed toes.

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds. They have a special pouch under their beak to scoop up fish. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

This family includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter-necked and more secretive. These birds fly with their necks pulled back.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, wide wings and long bodies and necks. Their bills are also long; ibises have down-curved bills, while spoonbills have flat, spoon-shaped bills.

New World Vultures

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures look like Old World vultures, but they are not closely related. Both types of vultures eat dead animals. New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find food, unlike Old World vultures who rely on sight.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The Osprey family has only one type of bird. Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey. They have large, hooked beaks, strong legs, powerful claws, and excellent eyesight.

  • Osprey (balbuzard pêcheur), Pandion haliaetus

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, and kites. These birds of prey have very large, strong, hooked beaks for tearing meat. They also have powerful legs, sharp claws, and great eyesight.

Barn-Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls. They have big heads and special heart-shaped faces.

  • Barn owl (effraie des clochers), Tyto Alba

Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are usually solitary birds of prey that hunt at night. They have large eyes that face forward, good hearing, a hawk-like beak, and a circle of feathers around each eye.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds. They have large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks. They have short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues for catching insects. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

This family includes falcons and caracaras. They are birds of prey that hunt during the day. Unlike hawks, they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their claws.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are songbirds found in North and South America. They usually eat insects. Most of them have plain colors and don't have complex songs.

Vireos and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized songbirds mostly found in the Americas. They are usually greenish and look a bit like wood warblers, but have stronger bills.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are songbirds known for catching other birds and small animals. They often impale their uneaten prey on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

  • Loggerhead shrike (pie-grièche migratrice), Lanius ludovicianus
  • Northern shrike (pie-grièche boréale), Lanius borealis

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. Corvids are larger than average songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae are mostly small, sturdy woodland birds with short, strong bills. They are adaptable and eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Larks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small ground birds known for their fancy songs and display flights. Most larks have dull colors. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows are birds that are built for catching food in the air. They have slender bodies, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

Kinglets are a small family of very tiny birds that eat insects. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns on their heads, which is how they got their name.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are songbirds with soft, silky feathers. They have unique red tips on some wing feathers that look like sealing wax. These birds live in northern forests and eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Nuthatches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, which most other birds cannot do. They have big heads, short tails, and strong bills and feet.

Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown on top and white underneath. They have thin, curved bills to pull insects from tree bark. Like woodpeckers, they use their stiff tail feathers to support themselves on trees.

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

These delicate birds look and act like Old World warblers. They move constantly through leaves looking for insects. Gnatcatchers are mostly soft bluish-grey and have long, sharp bills for eating insects.

Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and often hard to see, but they have very loud songs. They have short wings and thin, down-curved bills. Many species hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

  • Rock wren (troglodyte des rochers), Salpinctes obsoletus (C)
  • House wren (troglodyte familier), Troglodytes aedon
  • Winter wren (troglodyte des forêts), Troglodytes hiemalis
  • Sedge wren (troglodyte à bec court), Cistothorus platensis
  • Marsh wren (troglodyte des marais), Cistothorus palustris
  • Carolina wren (troglodyte de Caroline), Thryothorus ludovicianus

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

This family includes thrashers and mockingbirds. These birds are famous for their amazing ability to copy the songs of other birds and many other sounds. They are usually dull grey and brown.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly. They often gather in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Many species have dark, shiny feathers.

Thrushes and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are songbirds that are often plump with soft feathers. They are small to medium-sized birds that eat insects or a mix of foods, often feeding on the ground. Many have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large family of small songbirds. They mostly live in trees and eat insects, often catching them while flying.

Old World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small songbirds. They are generally plump, brownish or grayish birds with short tails and strong beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but also small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

This family includes wagtails and pipits. They are small songbirds with medium to long tails. They are slender, insect-eating birds that feed on the ground in open areas.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. They have a bouncy flight pattern and most sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

This family of songbirds was once grouped with New World sparrows. They are usually found in open grassy areas.

New World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

These birds are often called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of them have unique patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteriidae

This bird was once thought to be a wood-warbler, but scientists decided it needed its own family in 2017.

Troupials and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

This family includes grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. They are small to medium-sized, often colorful songbirds found only in the Americas. Most species are mainly black, sometimes with bright yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

Wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful songbirds found only in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some live more on the ground. Most birds in this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are strong, seed-eating birds with powerful bills. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different feather colors.

See also

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List of birds of Quebec Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.