Author :
Yousif Attia
Category :
126th Christmas Bird Count High Counts of Species in Canada
Audubon News Read More
During the 126th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Canada, counts reported 292 species, an increase of eight species compared to last season. One species (Eurasian Bullfinch) was new for the all-time Canada list, bringing the total to 447 species. Two additional species: Little Gull and Yellow-throated Warbler were only recorded during Count Week (three days prior to, and three days after a designated Count Day).
All ten Canadian provinces and three territories recorded at least one species high count during the 126th CBC season. Circles in British Columbia recorded or tied for the most species with high counts (148), followed by Ontario (57) and Nova Scotia (27). Victoria, BC, was the circle to record the most species high counts (35), followed by Ladner, BC (18), and White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC (11). Fifty-five high counts are high counts not only for Canada, but all North America during the 126th (records in bold font). Un-naturalized exotics and hybrids are excluded from this list.
Table 1. High Counts for circles in Canada during 126th (2025-26) Christmas Bird Count
| Common Name | Count | Circle(s) |
| Pink-footed Goose | 1 | St. John’s, NL |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | 46 | Victoria, BC |
| Snow Goose | 1262 | Vancouver, BC |
| Ross’s Goose | 1 | Medicine Hat, AB; Blenheim, ON |
| Brant | 1735 | Ladner, BC |
| Cackling Goose | 4632 | Chilliwack, BC |
| Canada Goose | 23066 | Lethbridge, AB |
| Mute Swan | 948 | Gananoque, ON |
| Trumpeter Swan | 1037 | Chilliwack, BC |
| Tundra Swan | 4188 | Holiday Beach, ON |
| Wood Duck | 198 | Victoria, BC |
| Gadwall | 242 | Kuskanook, BC |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 53 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| American Wigeon | 30022 | Ladner, BC |
| American Black Duck | 2614 | Tadoussac, QC |
| Mallard | 11956 | Calgary, AB |
| Blue-winged Teal | 1 | Rossland-Warfield, BC |
| Cinnamon Teal | 3 | Vancouver, BC |
| Northern Shoveler | 958 | Ladner, BC |
| Northern Pintail | 3561 | Ladner, BC |
| Green-winged Teal | 5422 | Ladner, BC |
| Canvasback | 17438 | Holiday Beach, ON |
| Redhead | 3300 | Kettle Point, ON |
| Ring-necked Duck | 399 | Duncan, BC |
| Tufted Duck | 45 | St. John’s, NL |
| Greater Scaup | 11306 | Point Pelee, ON |
| Lesser Scaup | 662 | Duncan, BC |
| King Eider | 1 | Presqu’ile P.P., ON; Toronto, ON |
| Common Eider | 1331 | Cape Race, NL |
| Harlequin Duck | 396 | Deep Bay, BC |
| Surf Scoter | 5454 | Comox, BC |
| White-winged Scoter | 2589 | Peach Tree, ON |
| Black Scoter | 1008 | East Point, PE |
| Long-tailed Duck | 18527 | Peach Tree, ON |
| Bufflehead | 2773 | Tofino, BC |
| Common Goldeneye | 7378 | Point Pelee, ON |
| Barrow’s Goldeneye | 2145 | Lower Howe Sound, BC |
| Hooded Merganser | 407 | Victoria, BC |
| Common Merganser | 3064 | Manitoulin Island, ON |
| Red-breasted Merganser | 1843 | Hamilton, ON |
| Ruddy Duck | 236 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| California Quail | 1902 | Oliver-Osoyoos, BC |
| Chukar | 36 | Oliver-Osoyoos, BC |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | 289 | Sackville, NB |
| Gray Partridge | 1100 | Regina, SK |
| Ruffed Grouse | 35 | Cape Tormentine, NB |
| Spruce Grouse | 16 | Whitehorse, YT |
| Willow Ptarmigan | 139 | Yellowknife, NT |
| Rock Ptarmigan | 8 | Iqaluit, NU |
| White-tailed Ptarmigan | 4 | Whitehorse, YT |
| Dusky Grouse | 2 | Penticton, BC |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | 171 | Rivers, MB |
| Wild Turkey | 589 | Alfred-Montebello, ON |
| Red-throated Loon | 56 | Skidegate Inlet, BC |
| Pacific Loon | 1374 | Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC |
| Common Loon | 107 | Cape Sable Island, NS |
| Yellow-billed Loon | 2 | Sooke, BC |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 63 | Victoria, BC |
| Horned Grebe | 370 | Sidney-South Saltspring, BC |
| Red-necked Grebe | 174 | Pender Harbour, BC |
| Eared Grebe | 3 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Western Grebe | 795 | Skidegate Inlet, BC |
| Clark’s Grebe | 1 | Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC |
| Northern Fulmar | 1 | Little River-Powell River Ferry, BC; St. John’s, NL |
| Short-tailed Shearwater | 112 | Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC |
| Northern Gannet | 35 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 2454 | Galiano-North Saltspring, BC |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 1480 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Great Cormorant | 119 | Brier Island, NS |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 563 | Tofino, BC |
| American White Pelican | 1 | Selkirk, MB |
| American Bittern | 1 | Ladner, BC; Cape Race, NL |
| Great Blue Heron | 221 | Ladner, BC |
| Great Egret | 2 | Chilliwack, BC |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | 7 | Toronto, ON |
| Glossy/White-faced Ibis | 1 | Vancouver, BC |
| Black Vulture | 3 | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Turkey Vulture | 157 | Yarmouth, NS |
| Osprey | 1 | Medicine Hat, AB |
| Golden Eagle | 47 | Pemberton-Mt. Currie, BC |
| Northern Harrier | 108 | Ladner, BC |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 16 | Calgary, AB |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 52 | Victoria, BC |
| American Goshawk | 4 | AB; Sensitive species |
| Bald Eagle | 653 | Ladner, BC |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 5 | Holiday Beach, ON |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | Amherst, NS; Glace Bay, NS |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 1 | Miscou Island, NB |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 95 | Toronto, ON |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 23 | Sackville, NB |
| Virginia Rail | 31 | Kelowna, BC |
| Sora | 2 | Duncan, BC |
| American Coot | 959 | Penticton, BC |
| Sandhill Crane | 4977 | Long Point, ON |
| Black-necked Stilt | 1 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Black Oystercatcher | 192 | Deep Bay, BC |
| Black-bellied Plover | 771 | Ladner, BC |
| Killdeer | 194 | Ladner, BC |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 3 | Ucluelet, BC |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 129 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 1 | Cape Sable Island, NS |
| Hudsonian Whimbrel | 4 | Ladner, BC |
| Long-billed Curlew | 1 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Marbled Godwit | 2 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 1 | Campbell River, BC; Port Clements, BC; Port L’Hebert, NS |
| Black Turnstone | 397 | Deep Bay, BC |
| Red Knot | 10 | Chezzetcook, NS |
| Surfbird | 124 | Ucluelet, BC |
| Sanderling | 390 | Rose Spit, BC |
| Dunlin | 55147 | Ladner, BC |
| Rock Sandpiper | 4 | Sunshine Coast, BC |
| Purple Sandpiper | 280 | Cape Race, NL |
| Least Sandpiper | 2 | Broughton Strait, BC; Sidney-South Saltspring, BC |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | 5 | Cape Race, NL |
| Western Sandpiper | 14 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | 2 | Victoria, BC |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | 155 | White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Wilson’s Snipe | 506 | Ladner, BC |
| American Woodcock | 1 | Long Point, ON; Point Pelee, ON |
| Red Phalarope | 1 | Victoria, BC |
| Dovekie | 85 | Ferryland, NL |
| Common Murre | 925 | Campbell River, BC |
| Thick-billed Murre | 2 | Cape Race, NL |
| Razorbill | 180 | Grand Manan Island, NB |
| Black Guillemot | 168 | Ferryland, NL |
| Pigeon Guillemot | 265 | Broughton Strait, BC |
| Marbled Murrelet | 162 | Pender Harbour, BC |
| Ancient Murrelet | 3011 | Sidney-South Saltspring, BC |
| Rhinoceros Auklet | 32 | Victoria, BC |
| Atlantic Puffin | 5 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| Black-legged Kittiwake | 426 | Brier Island, NS |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | 8900 | Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC |
| Black-headed Gull | 15 | Antigonish, NS |
| Little Gull | COUNT WEEK | Pictou Harbour, NS |
| Short-billed Gull | 2219 | Vancouver, BC |
| Ring-billed Gull | 1277 | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Western Gull | 3 | Galiano-North Saltspring, BC; Sooke, BC; Victoria, BC |
| California Gull | 585 | Penticton, BC |
| American Herring Gull | 6841 | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Iceland Gull | 921 | Powell River, BC |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 10 | St. John’s, NL |
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 6821 | Ladner, BC |
| Glaucous Gull | 73 | Iqaluit, NU |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1981 | Longueuil, QC |
| Forster’s Tern | 1 | The Sydneys, NS |
| Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) | 4181 | Toronto, ON |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | 16 | Sidney-South Saltspring, BC |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 412 | Kelowna, BC |
| Mourning Dove | 1163 | Wallaceburg, ON |
| American Barn Owl | 6 | BC; Sensitive Species |
| Western Screech-Owl | 3 | Victoria, BC |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 34 | Skunk’s Misery, ON |
| Great Horned Owl | 44 | Victoria, BC |
| Snowy Owl | 10 | Moose Jaw, SK |
| Northern Hawk Owl | 6 | NT; Sensitive Species |
| Northern Pygmy-Owl | 4 | Lake Country, BC |
| Barred Owl | 25 | Victoria, BC |
| Great Gray Owl | 4 | BC; Sensitive Species |
| Long-eared Owl | 3 | ON; Sensitive Species |
| Short-eared Owl | 23 | Prince George, BC |
| Boreal Owl | 1 | Devon-Calmar, AB; Edmonton, AB; Ottawa-Gatineau, ON; Whitehorse, YT |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | 10 | Lunenburg, NS |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 810 | Victoria, BC |
| Rufous Hummingbird | 1 | Victoria, BC |
| Belted Kingfisher | 51 | Pender Islands, BC |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 2 | Midland-Penetanguishene, ON; Frontenac, ON |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 155 | London, ON |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 14 | Woodhouse Township, ON; Long Point, ON |
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | 11 | Sooke, BC |
| Downy Woodpecker | 438 | Edmonton, AB |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 144 | Ottawa-Gatineau, ON |
| American Three-toed Woodpecker | 5 | Banff-Canmore, AB |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | 3 | Quebec, QC; La Foret Larose, ON |
| Northern Flicker | 485 | Victoria, BC |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 105 | Edmonton, AB |
| American Kestrel | 23 | Victoria, BC |
| Merlin | 18 | Calgary, AB |
| Gyrfalcon | 1 | AB and ON; Sensitive Species |
| Peregrine Falcon | 9 | Victoria, BC |
| Prairie Falcon | 4 | Milk River, AB |
| Eastern Phoebe | 2 | Long Point, ON |
| Say’s Phoebe | 1 | Kelowna, BC; Lake Country, BC |
| Northern Shrike | 18 | Quebec, QC |
| White-eyed Vireo | 1 | St. Martins, NB |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 1 | Cape Sable Island, NS; Yarmouth, NS |
| Hutton’s Vireo | 6 | Sidney-South Saltspring, BC; White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC |
| Canada Jay | 56 | Eagle River, ON |
| Steller’s Jay | 145 | Chilliwack, BC |
| Blue Jay | 783 | Edmonton, AB |
| California Scrub-Jay | 2 | Pitt Meadows, BC |
| Black-billed Magpie | 3716 | Calgary, AB |
| Clark’s Nutcracker | 47 | Kimberley, BC |
| American Crow | 127339 | St. Clair N.W.A., ON |
| Fish Crow | 3 | Kingston, ON |
| Common Raven | 2851 | Whitehorse, YT |
| Horned Lark | 1172 | Point Pelee, ON |
| Tree Swallow | 1 | Brier Island, NS |
| Barn Swallow | 4 | Vancouver, BC |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 3112 | Ottawa-Gatineau, ON |
| Mountain Chickadee | 238 | Banff-Canmore, AB |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | 2777 | Victoria, BC |
| Boreal Chickadee | 87 | St. John’s, NL |
| Tufted Titmouse | 33 | Cowansville, QC |
| Bushtit | 1358 | Victoria, BC |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 812 | Edmonton, AB |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 484 | Ottawa-Gatineau, ON |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | 314 | Kelowna, BC |
| Brown Creeper | 225 | Victoria, BC |
| Rock Wren | 1 | Peachland, BC |
| Canyon Wren | 23 | Vaseux Lake, BC |
| Northern House Wren | 4 | Lower Howe Sound, BC |
| Pacific Wren | 399 | Victoria, BC |
| Winter Wren | 35 | Long Point, ON |
| Marsh Wren | 42 | Ladner, BC |
| Carolina Wren | 49 | Long Point, ON |
| Bewick’s Wren | 216 | Victoria, BC |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 1 | Victoria, BC |
| American Dipper | 38 | Yalakom Valley, BC |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 1168 | Victoria, BC |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 229 | Victoria, BC |
| Eastern Bluebird | 159 | Kawartha, ON |
| Western Bluebird | 291 | Penticton, BC |
| Mountain Bluebird | 1 | Ladner, BC; Penticton, BC; Sidney-South Saltspring, BC |
| Townsend’s Solitaire | 60 | Williams Lake, BC |
| Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | Slocan Lake, BC |
| Hermit Thrush | 40 | Sooke, BC |
| American Robin | 61408 | Victoria, BC |
| Varied Thrush | 722 | Sooke, BC |
| Gray Catbird | 2 | Long Point, ON |
| Brown Thrasher | 1 | Carman, MB; Dryden, ON; La Foret Larose, ON; Long Point, ON |
| Northern Mockingbird | 13 | Toronto, ON |
| European Starling | 16545 | Victoria, BC |
| American Pipit | 60 | Abbotsford-Mission, BC |
| Bohemian Waxwing | 14540 | Prince George, BC |
| Cedar Waxwing | 822 | Glace Bay, NS |
| Lapland Longspur | 52 | Point Pelee, ON |
| Snow Bunting | 9698 | Blenheim, ON |
| Ovenbird | 1 | Toronto, ON |
| Northern Waterthrush | 1 | Yarmouth, NS |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 1 | Port L’Hebert, NS |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 6 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| Nashville Warbler | 2 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| Palm Warbler | 1 | Cape Sable Island, NS; Port L’Hebert, NS; Wolfville, NS |
| Pine Warbler | 2 | Bedford-Sackville, NS; Quispamsis-Hampton, NB; Saint Andrews, NB; Halifax-Dartmouth, NS; Pictou Harbour, NS; Truro, NS; West Hants, NS; Wolfville, NS |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 50 | Abbotsford-Mission, BC |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | COUNT WEEK | Cheticamp, NS |
| Townsend’s Warbler | 3 | Sooke, BC |
| Wilson’s Warbler | 1 | Bella Coola, BC; Kelowna, BC |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 1 | Halifax-Dartmouth, NS |
| American Tree Sparrow | 1002 | Long Point, ON |
| Chipping Sparrow | 4 | Jemseg-Gagetown, NB; Kingston, NS |
| Field Sparrow | 9 | Long Point, ON |
| Fox Sparrow | 385 | Victoria, BC |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 6823 | Victoria, BC |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 618 | Victoria, BC |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 1985 | Victoria, BC |
| Harris’s Sparrow | 1 | Kelowna, BC; Nakusp, BC; Vancouver, BC; Wells-Bowron, BC; Balmoral, MB; Carman, MB; Dryden, ON; Woodstock, ON |
| White-throated Sparrow | 214 | Long Point, ON |
| Vesper Sparrow | 2 | St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, QC |
| Savannah Sparrow | 43 | Sable Island, NS |
| Song Sparrow | 1011 | Vancouver, BC |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 21 | Victoria, BC |
| Swamp Sparrow | 52 | Blenheim, ON |
| Spotted Towhee | 1007 | Victoria, BC |
| Eastern Towhee | 4 | Wallaceburg, ON |
| Northern Cardinal | 687 | Ottawa-Gatineau, ON |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 1 | Huntsville, ON |
| Painted Bunting | 1 | Cape Tormentine, NB |
| Dickcissel | 2 | The Sydneys, NS |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 1487 | Long Point, ON |
| Western Meadowlark | 66 | Victoria, BC |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 3 | Point Pelee, ON |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | 1 | Pakenham-Arnprior, ON; Wallaceburg, ON |
| Rusty Blackbird | 49 | Blenheim, ON |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 1624 | Chilliwack, BC |
| Common Grackle | 680 | Wallaceburg, ON |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 1260 | Dunnville, ON |
| Hooded Oriole | 1 | Tofino, BC |
| Baltimore Oriole | 1 | St. John’s, NL; Lunenburg, NS; Truro, NS |
| Brambling | 1 | Greater Masset, BC; Smithers, BC; Terrace, BC |
| Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch | 13 | Oliver-Osoyoos, BC |
| Pine Grosbeak | 456 | Eagle River, ON |
| Eurasian Bullfinch | 1 | Watson Lake, YT |
| House Finch | 1481 | Edmonton, AB |
| Purple Finch | 173 | Grand Manan Island, NB |
| Cassin’s Finch | 10 | Lardeau, BC |
| Red Crossbill | 259 | Kimberley, BC |
| White-winged Crossbill | 805 | Banff-Canmore, AB |
| Redpoll | 917 | Cape Tormentine, NB |
| Pine Siskin | 942 | Creston Valley, BC |
| American Goldfinch | 2183 | Kingston, NS |
| Evening Grosbeak | 1064 | Kingston, NS |
| House Sparrow | 6260 | Edmonton, AB |