‘Perfect bird for Canada’: Geographic society bids gray jay as national bird
OTTAWA — Smart, hardy and friendly — the Royal Canadian Geographic Society says its choice for Canada’s national bird epitomizes the best of the country’s national traits.
The gray jay, also known as the whiskey jack, was announced Wednesday evening as the winner of the society’s laborious two-year search for a fitting avian Canadian representative.
“The gray what?” you may ask.
The gray jay, once known as the Canada jay and the “wisakedjak” of folklore in indigenous cultures, is found in the boreal forests of every Canadian province and territory but nowhere else on the planet.