Canuck crow made official

Photo: Glacier Media

Canuck the crow, Vancouver’s unofficial winged ambassador, is officially protected.

Canuck’s human best friend Shawn Bergman announced on the Canuck and I Facebook page Tuesday that Canuck “is now a federally protected crow.”

Canuck is the first crow to be banded in North America for non-endangered and non-research purposes. He has also been placed in the North American database for birds.

“It took a long time to get it, but it was well worth it,” Bergman said. “It’s something that makes me feel a lot more secure in his safety.”

Canuck now sports a uniquely numbered metal band, supplied by the Federal Bird Banding Office in Ottawa, along with his orange band that makes him visible to his fans.

The tags usually allow researchers to track individual birds throughout their lifetime as well as track bird movements globally. On average 1.2 million birds are banded in Canada and the U.S. each year.

In his surprise Facebook post, Bergman told Canuck’s 114,000 fans he “couldn’t be happier” with the outcome.

The post has received close to 5,000 likes and hundreds of messages of congratulations from avid Canuck followers.