ANNA’S Hummingbird has been named Vancouver’s official city bird with 42 per cent of all votes cast.
After three weeks of campaigning, Anna’s Hummingbird proved to resonate most with voters, taking 3,450 of the 8,259 votes cast, to become Vancouver’s official city bird.
Three other feathered hopefuls — Northern Flicker, Spotted Towhee and the Varied Thrush — vied for the title, but it was ultimately the hummingbird’s ability to make a strong impression and connect with voters that lead to victory.
Anna’s Hummingbird has an ambitious agenda as Vancouver’s official City Bird and will have the following mandate to fulfill:
* Symbolize the importance of birds in our eco-system;
* Continue to build awareness of the importance of birds and their needs in the city;
* Encourage implementation of the Vancouver Bird Strategy<http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/vancouver-bird-strategy.aspx> which works to create conditions for native birds to thrive and is a pioneer in identifying, monitoring, protecting, and enhancing urban ecosystem services that contribute to biodiversity; and
* Helping Vancouver host the International Ornithological Congress and the first Vancouver International Bird Festival in 2018.
The result was announced live on Thursday evening at Vancouver Public Library – Central Branch following the conclusion of a commissioned fanfare, “The Gathering Flock,” performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet.
The 2017 nominees for an official permanent City Bird were generated by a public process called Words for Birds. Over 1,300 residents contributed words that reflect qualities of the people who call our city home. Vancouver bird experts then matched the qualities the four local birds that took part in the election.
More information on the City Bird election and on the four candidates can be found at:
http://www.vancouver.ca/city-bird
