Backyard birds in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Which birds visit Winnipeg yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Winnipeg's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 49.884°, -97.147°
- Population
- 749,607
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 21 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 6 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:37 AM / 5:19 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canada 1a–3b
Nesting timing in Winnipeg
The state guides give nesting windows for Manitoba as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 49.9°N). Winnipeg is at 49.9°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Winnipeg goes from 8 h 6 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 21 min in June, a 8 h 16 min swing.
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window June–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window August–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window June–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Finch — state window June–July
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird — state window June–August
Birds you can expect in Winnipeg
Year-round residents (33)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Purple Finchs, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, Mallards, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, White-winged Crossbills, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (78)
Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Mountain Bluebirds, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Great Blue Herons, Scarlet Tanagers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Hooded Mergansers, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Ovenbirds, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Burrowing Owls, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Harris's Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Horned Larks, Bohemian Waxwings, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Winter visitors (6)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls
Very cold winters to −30°F.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Winnipeg
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Winnipeg, sunrise is around 6:37 AM in mid-April, 5:19 AM at the June solstice and 8:23 AM in late December (local time, America/Winnipeg). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Winnipeg yards
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Blue fruit on red stems in early fall.
Late nectar for insects and fall seed for sparrows.
Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.
Seed-rich cones and year-round shelter.
Catkin seed feeds redpolls and siskins all winter.
Nearby cities in Manitoba
- Fort Garry South — 6 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winnipeg
- Steinbach — 32 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winnipeg
- Brandon — 125 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winnipeg
Frequently asked
What birds live in Winnipeg all year?
Year-round residents across Manitoba include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Winnipeg.
When do birds start nesting in Winnipeg?
Winnipeg sits at about the same latitude as Manitoba's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Winnipeg?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Winnipeg, sunrise is around 6:37 AM in mid-April and 5:19 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Manitoba
- Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — Natural Resources Canada
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.