Birds of La Tuque

183 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of La Tuque (Quebec) since 2010, across 17,157 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee and Canada Goose.

La Tuque is backyard-bird country: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow and American Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle and Broad-winged Hawk.

Records peak in May and are lowest in January — about 23.3 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Laurentides, 31 mi to the south-east, has fewer species on record (148 against 183). Birds logged far more often around La Tuque than there include Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Goldeneye and European Starling.

Daylight runs from 15 h 58 min at midsummer to 8 h 27 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 AM in mid-April and 4:53 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• Song Sparrow

  Millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Red-eyed Vireo

  None — mature deciduous trees are the draw

• Laurentides31 mi south-east · 148 species
• Saint-Tite49 mi south · 149 species
• Saint-Ubalde53 mi south-east · 144 species
• Hérouxville53 mi south · 185 species
• Saint-Raymond58 mi south-east · 172 species
• Saint-Narcisse62 mi south · 169 species