The votes are in and the Tufted Titmouse has been named the City of Windsor's official bird.
As part of Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island's annual Best of Windsor Essex Awards process this year, residents nominated and voted on five finalists for the official bird.
The Tufted Titmouse was revealed as the winner Wednesday during an announcement at the Ojibway Nature Centre on Matchett Road.
The Tufted Titmouse is a unique songbird with strong ties to oak woodland and oak savanna, and Windsor is one of the few places in Canada that this bird can call home.
James Chacko, Executive Director of Parks and Facilities, says Tufted Titmouse is very unique to Windsor.
"We're at the very northern edge of its range of its migratory pattern, so it allows for it to live and thrive here and really no where else within Canada. So really the Windsor area is a unique place with the natural woodlots and the Ojibway Prairie Complex, so we're very fortunate that this little guy is able to call Windsor home," he says.
In Canada, this bird is only found in Southern Ontario and can be found in the oak woodland natural areas that are unique to Windsor, nesting in natural holes and cavities left by woodpeckers.
Jason Toner, Director of Marketing and Communications for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, and James Chacko, Executive Director of Parks and Facilities for the City of Windsor, announce the results of voting for the official bird of Windsor. April 12, 2023. (Photo by Rusty Thomson)
Chacko says birding is very popular across Windsor and Essex County.
"Birding is something that people are extremely passionate about and we do get people, not only local people that travel within the county, but certainly people coming from far and wide from both Ontario, Quebec and the United States," he adds.
The Tufted Titmouse scored high with residents and received City support from Parks due to it being unique to the community, and it beat out the Peregrine Falcon, Common Nighthawk, Black-capped Chickadee, and the Northern Cardinal.
As part of the announcement, TWEPI launched the new Birding Guide, a resource for birding in Windsor and Essex County.
In the guide, visitors and locals can learn more about why Windsor-Essex is a birding migration mecca, which species they can see, and where to spot them.
A digital edition of the Birding Guide is available at www.visitwindsoressex.com/birding.
In 2022, Nature Canada certified Windsor as a bird-friendly city.