FAUNA

Scroll to see some of the animals we got to see and hear on our hikes! We've consulted our Resident Vertebrate Nerd for confirmation of species. There are many other species that you can see while hiking, but these are just the ones we've seen so far.

WARNING! If you do encounter wildlife, please do not disturb them, feed them, or try to take selfies with them! They aren't celebrities and they just want to live their life in peace. Take your pictures from a reasonable distance for the safety of yourself and the animals.

Big Horned Sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Common Name: Big Horned Sheep

Scientific Name: Ovis canadensis

Habitat:

Can be found in the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada into parts of CO, NV, Western TX, and northern Mexico
Prefer to live in alpine meadows, foothill areas and mountain slopes

Appearance:

White muzzle, white patch on rear, dark brown coat, and curved horns that are lighter in colour
They shed their coats once a year, and their winter coats may appear lighter
Wide set eyes provide a large angle of vision to look out for predators
Can weigh up to 300 pounds and they stand 3 feet tall at the shoulder
Hooves are softer to allow for good grip and the front hooves are larger than the back ones

Diet:

Grasses and sedges in the warmer months and woody plants like willow, sage and rabbit brush
They seek minerals at salt licks, and they will lick the salt off of your car if you're stopped near a group of them

Other notes:

Males are called “rams” females called “ewes”
Grizzly bears, black bears, cougars and wolverines are the main predators
They can jump from one ledge to another up to 6 meters in distance along rocky edges as small as 5cm wide
They are very social animals that can be found living in relatively large herds.
Males head butt each other to assert dominance in herds and to try and impress the females

Black Bear (Ursus americanus)

Common Name: Black Bear

Scientific Name: Ursus americanus

Habitat:

Native and common across North America
Can be found in large, forested areas, and dense bushland

Appearance:

Black bears are the smallest of the bear species but can still weigh around 350-550 pounds
Despite the name, their fur can range from blonde, reddish, dark brown, to black
These bears have a longer face than grizzly bears do
Their muzzle is lighter in colour and they often have a white or light patch below their throat

Diet:

Berries, fruits, vegetation, and nut caches stored by squirrels
Black bears are also fond of honey and they will scrape out honeycombs despite being stung by bees

Other notes:

Bear claw marks are often seen on trees, marking their scent

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Common Name: Bufflehead

Scientific Name: Bucephala albeola

Habitat:

Can be found coast to coast in Canada where they live on and near large lakes or major rivers until it freezes
In the winter, they migrate down to the United States concentrating along the coast

Appearance:

These ducks are Canada’s smallest with males weighing about 1.1 pounds and females about 0.7 pounds
Duck that is Closely related to goldeneyes
Closely related to the goldeneye, these ducks can be distinguished by a large white patch across the back of the head that extends from cheek to cheek while the rest of the head is blackish

Diet:

They find food by diving where their food is picked from the bottom
Feed on aquatic insects, molluscs and plant material

Other notes:

The only tree-nesting duck that uses nest holes made by flickers and woodpeckers
Courtship begins in the winter seasons

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Common Name: Canada Goose

Scientific Name: Branta canadensis

Habitat:

Native to temperate and arctic regions of North America, this bird can also be found in parts of Europe, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile
Can be found near water, grassy fields, wetlands, and low-lying areas

Appearance:

Distinguished by its long neck, black head, brown head, white cheek patches, and it's pink webbed feet
Can weight up to 15 pounds and their wingspan can be up to 2 m wide
Often times they can be identified by their "honking" sounds which can vary in pitch

Diet:

Grazes on grasses and sedges during the spring and summer,while during the winter they will eat berries, seeds, flowers, stems, and roots
Can spend up to 12 hours a day or more feeding
They like open areas of grass because they can easily digest grass and they have a clear, unobstructed view of oncoming predators

Other notes:

There are 11 estimated other subspecies of Canada goose which can vary in size and weight
They usually mate for life and pairs remain together throughout the year
They can be spotted flying a in v-formation during migration, and they can travel more than 1000km in one day
Their migration is often recognized as a sign of changing seasons, as they head down south in search for warmer weather
They often use the same nest each year, and it’s usually the one its parents nested in
Geese are very adapted to humans and human environments and they aren't afraid to chase you away to defend their territory

Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

Common Name: Clark’s nutcracker

Scientific Name: Nucifraga columbiana

Habitat:

Native to British Columbia, Alberta, and the western United States
They live up high in the mountains, and in dry, open pine forests
Can also be found in many nature conservatories

Appearance:

Medium sized bird with a long, sharp bill
Plumage is mostly grey with black wings, and they have black down at the centre of their tail
Their flight is similar to that of a woodpecker swoop

Diet:

Some insects, insect larvae out of wood, and they open cones to extract the seeds
Majority of their diet is pine seeds from limber pine and whitebark pine, nuts, berries, insects, eggs and nestlings

Other notes:

They have a special pouch under its tongue that it uses to carry seeds long distances
Every year, they hide thousands of seeds which helps the ecosystem
Pairs stay together year round

Dark Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Dark Eyed Junco Song

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Dark Eyed Junco Song

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Dark Eyed Junco Song

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Common Name: Dark Eyed Junco

Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis

Habitat:

Common across most of temperate North American and can be found from coast to coast across Canada
Prefer to live along forest edges and in woodland clearings that contain a lot of plants for ground cover

Appearance:

There is a lot of colour variation in this species across different regions, but their head, neck, and breast are grey, their underside is white, wings are brownish-black and they have a pale pink beak
Can weigh up to 30 g and their wingspan can be up to 25cm

Diet:

Eat seeds and insects such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers and spiders. During the winter they mainly eat seeds, weeds, and grasses
They usually forage while hopping and running on the ground

Other Notes:

Their nests are usually made on the ground, under rocks, roots or logs near dense shrubs or ground cover
Each year they lay 3-6 pale bluish or green eggs
They can be found year round in some areas

Fauna

Elk (Cervus canadensis)

Common Name: Elk AKA Wapiti

Scientific Name: Cervus canadensis

Habitat:

Native to North America and eastern Asia, and they can also be found in other countries such as Argentina and New Zealand
In Alberta, Elk are found mainly in the foothills and mountains where they prefer woodland and open grassland areas

Appearance:

One of the largest species in the deer family
Elk can grow up to 1.5m tall and weigh up to 325 kg (~1000 lbs)
Fur on the head, neck and legs are a darker brown than the rest of the body
Wapiti means "white rump" which is distinguished by the prominent white patch on their rump
Male Elk have antlers that are shed each year, and they use their antlers to wrestle other males for the cow (female) elk

Diet:

Includes a range of sedges, grasses, leaves, and shrubby brows

Other notes:

Excessive hunting and habitat destruction has affected populations of elk
Predators include wolves, bears, and humans

Grey Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

Common Name: Grey Jay

Scientific Name: Perisoreus canadensis

Habitat:

Can be found in every province and territory in Canada, and it has never been recorded outside of North America
Preferred habitat is in Canada’s boreal forest and mountain forests where they remain year-round
Common visitors at research stations, hikers, skiers, camps etc

Appearance:

Can be identified by their grey body with a lighter belly, while their cheeks, throat and forehead are white.
They have a long tail, short bill, and a large, round head

Diet:

Insets, spiders, berries, fungi and seeds and they will eat food out of people’s hands quite easily (but DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS)
They can be seen flying from tree to tree in search for food

Other notes:

Grey Jays are louder than most other jays
They are often referred to as “camp robbers” as they steal food from campsites and cabins

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos)

Common Name: Grizzly Bear

Scientific Name: Ursus arctos

Habitat:

Found primarily in the northwestern region of North America
As human populations grow, their habitat is slowly shrinking

Appearance:

Females can weigh up to 400 pounds, while males can weigh up to 750 pounds on average.
Fur is typically dark brown with darker legs
Unlike black bears, grizzly bears have a large hump on their back
Grizzly bears have a shorter face than black bears, and their ears are more rounded
Claws on a grizzly can be 2-4 inches long

Diet:

Consists mostly of nuts, berries, fruits, leaves and roots.
They can often be spotted near rivers when the salmon are swimming upstream

Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus)

Common Name: Least Chipmunk

Scientific Name: Tamias minimus

Habitat:

Found throughout North America, occupying much of the rocky mountain region and western Great Plains of the US
Prefer more open areas like forest edges and meadows
Also common near rock cliffs, river bluffs, and open jack pine stands

Appearance:

The smallest of all chipmunks, and the females are larger than the males in some populations
Can be distinguished by three dark stripes and two light stripes on the face and five dark stripes and four light stripes on their back.
Middle stripe runs down to the end of the tail
Can be 20cm long and weigh up to 53 g

Diet:

Seeds, nuts, berries, fruits, grasses, fungi, snails, insects, and they have special cheek pouches to carry around lots of food
They carry nuts and seeds from one place to another in their cheek pouches, and this is an important part of the ecosystem too for seed dispersal

Other notes:

Chipmunks are heterothermic animals which means that they hibernate
They are quick climbers, that nest high above the ground to avoid predation and to also climb trees to warm themselves in the sun
They respond to visual signals from each other, like different body positions which indicate different cues
Some predatory threats include weasels, hawks, fox, minx, snakes

Mallard (Anas platrhynchos)

Common Name: Mallard

Scientific Name: Anas platrhynchos

Habitat:

One of the most abundant ducks in the world, these birds nest throughout most of North America
Can be found in marshes, wooded swamps, grain fields, ponds, rivers, lakes, bays, and city parks

Appearance:

Males have the bright green coloured head and upper neck with a white ring that separates the dark body
The back and wings are brownish grey, and they have a yellow bill and reddish orange feet
Females are mostly brown with darker streaks throughout, and a blue patch in the wings with a white border
Can weigh about 1000-1300 g and their wingspan can be up to 1 m wide

Diet:

Mostly grasses, grains and aquatic material
They submerge their head and neck in the water and stick their butt up to search for food.
Also eat some seeds, stems, roots and other plants, insects when they are grazing on land

Marten (Martes)

Common Name: Marten

Scientific Name: Martes

Habitat:

Can be found in forested areas of central and northern Canada, the United States and southward in the Rocky Mountains

Appearance:

These members of the weasel family have soft, thick coats that are considered to be valuable
Fur colour varies from yellowish to dark brown depending on other sub species and their region
About the size of a cat, but they have shorter legs, a slender body, pointy face, and a bushy tail
Males are typically larger than the females, and they can be up to 30 inches long and weigh about 3.5 pounds

Diet:

Red-backed voles, deer mice, field voles, hare, grouse, squirrels and shrews, birds eggs, amphibians, and berries
These small mammals hunt at all times at the day, but are most active at daybreak and dusk.
They can hunt up to 16 hours a day, and they will eat whatever they can catch.

Other notes:

These are curious animals that will dig and investigate under trees, stumps, hollow trees, and find tunnels under the snow in winter
They are often caught stealing lunches at campsites where they have been investigating around for food
They are very agile climbers, but they take their prey to the ground
Some predators include hawks, owls, some mammalian predators, but natural factors play more of a role in reducing populations
In the winter, the soles of the feet are covered with fur and the toes are not distinguishable in prints
They walk with a "loping gait" where its hind feet land in the tracks of the front feet. This is common among the weasel family

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

**Please note the above picture was taken by us at the fish hatchery, and it is intended to provide a better visual. The below photo was taken on our hikes. **

Common Name: Rainbow Trout

Scientific Name: Oncorhynchus mykiss

Habitat:

Native to lakes and rivers in North America and west of the Rocky Mountains, but it has been introduced to bodies of water all over the world because it is a popular sporting fish
Prefer cold, clear water with fast current
They are usually found in freshwater but once they move to saltwater they are steelhead trout

Appearance:

Closely related to salmon and arctic char, these fish have a slender, elongated body, with an iridescent pink or red lateral line.
Body is dark blue to olive, with silvery sides and they have a white underside
Fins are spotted with dark spots which can also be found on the rest of the body
Range from 14-40cm long and can weigh about 1kg
They have a total of 7 fins

Diet:

Carnivores, so they won’t eat vegetation, but rather insects, small fish, and leeches
They have sharp teeth on the roof of mouth but no lower teeth

Other Notes:

They must dig a nest at the bottom of a body of water in order to lay eggs.

Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Common Name: Red squirrel

Scientific Name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Habitat:

Commonly found across North America in the Rocky Mountain region, and parts of the eastern United states
They like regions with coniferous, deciduous and mixed coniferous, deciduous forest

Appearance:

Can have fur that is reddish to reddish-grey fur, a white underside, and white around eyes
The tail isn’t as long or bushy as other squirrels.

Diet:

Insects, seeds, bark, nuts, fruits, mushrooms and pine seeds and cones

Other notes:

Squirrels are most active in the early morning and late afternoon
Generally, they are solitary animals, but they are very vocal and chatters, growls and screeches
They make nests in a variety of places including hollows in the ground, logs, and they also dig burrows which are called middens.
There are many predators to the squirrel and they are vulnerable to a variety of diseases, which affects about 50% of the population each year, so they rarely live past 4 years old
They will take green pine cones from trees and store them in the ground. This is good for seed dispersal around forested areas

Ruby Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

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Ruby Crowned Kinglet

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Ruby Crowned Kinglet

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Common Name: Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Scientific Name: Regulus calendula

Habitat:

Found across Canada, Alaska and western United States where they then migrate to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter season
Like to nest high in trees, and they prefer older and more dense trees

Appearance:

These birds are tiny songbirds with a tiny tail and bill.
Olive-green overall with prominent white eye ring, and they have a white wing-bar with a black wing-bar underneath
Adult males sport a red crown when excited, other times, it is tucked away.
These small birds have a wingspan of about 18 cm and they can weight about 10g

Diet:

Insects, small beetles, flies, and caterpillars where they often hover mid-air to catch insects.
In the winter, they will eat some berries and seeds.
They forage for food at all levels from treetops to low brush

Other notes:

They can be recognized by their constant wing-flicking
They use their songs to establish territory boundaries

Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus)

Swainson's Thrush "whip" call note

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Swainson's Thrush Song

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Common Name: Swainson’s thrush

Scientific Name: Catharus ustulatus

Habitat:

These birds breed throughout the North American boreal region

Appearance:

More often heard than seen, they are uniformly a dull olive-brown above, and spotted below with lighter colour.
Contain a light brown eye ring and light cheeks
Wingspan averages 30 cm and they can weigh up to 45 g

Diet:

Omnivorous, eating mostly insects during the spring and summer, and fruits and seeds in the fall and winter
Forage for food on the forest floor and also in trees

Other Notes:

Their song is considered to be flute-like where it climbs up the musical scale
They make a cup shaped nest in a horizontal tree branch higher up in the trees

Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina)

Tennessee Warbler

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Common Name: Tennessee Warbler

Scientific Name: Leiothlypis peregrina

Habitat:

Contrary to the name, this bird is not actually from Tennessee, and it has never been seen there
Can be found in woodland areas, outer edges of forests, and shrubby areas of the Canadian Boreal forests, and into parts of the United States

Appearance:

Have a short, sharp bill, and a thin white line over their eye
Body is olive-green on the back, white underneath, and with grey sides

Diet:

Specialize in eating spruce budworm
Insects, berries and nectar. Some insects include caterpillars, aphids, beetles, flies and any.
Forage in outter foliage of trees

Varied Thrush (Lxoreus naevius)

Varied Thrush and Yellow-Rumped Warbler

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Common Name: Varied Thrush

Scientific Name: Lxoreus naevius

Habitat:

Commonly found in the Northern Rockies, pacific coast and Cascades
Prefer dim, moist, and dense, mature forests

Appearance:

Have a dark blueish grey back with orange below
They have a distinct black breast band, an orange line over the eye, and two orange wings on the blackish wings
Their Wingspan is about 42 cm and they can weigh up to 100g

Diet:

Primarily eating insects in the spring, and switching to berries and seeds in the winter months
Most of their foraging is done on the ground and in low underbrush

Other notes:

Usually build their nests in the understory of a mature forest, and the females choose the spot

White-Throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

White-Throated Sparrow

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Common Name: White-Throated Sparrow

Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis

Habitat:

Can be found in Northern temperate forests from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast
Can usually be found in recently clear areas, and forest edges.

Appearance:

There are two different morphs of this bird where one has white stripes and one has tan stripes
Black and white stripes on the head with a yellow spot between the eye and the bill on each side of their face
Their name comes from the white throat patch under their bill which contrasts their grey underside
Overall, they have a long tail, short bill, and long legs

Diet:

Primary food is insects in the spring and summer months, while they switch to seeds and berries for the winter months
They also pick at some tree buds and flowers, along with other types of vegetation

Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

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Common Name: Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata

Habitat:

Found across North America travelling south towards Mexico and the Caribbean for the winter

Appearance:

As the name implies, these birds have a yellow patch on their rump, and some yellow patches on their sides.

Diet:

Insects such as caterpillars, beetles, ants, aphids, and spiders.
In the winter they eat fruits such as bayberry and wax myrtle which only warblers are the only birds who are specialized to digest
They will also eat a variety of seeds during the winter months

Other Notes:

Like other warblers, they forage by searching for insects in the bark of trees, or actively flying and catching insects
There are different morphs of this species including the audubon, myrtle, and Goldman's. The audubon form is primarily present in Canada but often crosses with the myrtle warbler creating a hybrid.

FAUNA

Scroll to see some of the animals we got to see and hear on our hikes! We've consulted our Resident Vertebrate Nerd for confirmation of species. There are many other species that you can see while hiking, but these are just the ones we've seen so far.

​

** WARNING! If you do encounter wildlife, please do not disturb them, feed them, or try to take selfies with them! They aren't celebrities and they just want to live their life in peace. Take your pictures from a reasonable distance for the safety of yourself and the animals.**

Fauna

WARNING! If you do encounter wildlife, please do not disturb them, feed them, or try to take selfies with them! They aren't celebrities and they just want to live their life in peace. Take your pictures from a reasonable distance for the safety of yourself and the animals.