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Canada Canada Ramsar wetland

Malpeque Bay

126 bird species recorded; the most in July.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec93at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Carl Campbell from Querétaro, Mexico · CC BY-SA 2.0

This month here

18 species in January.

The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.

Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritusResident
Common Tern
Common TernSterna hirundoResidentAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
European Herring Gull
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentKulac · CC BY-SA 3.0
Blue Jay
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillusWinter visitorNo machine-readable author provided. Mdf assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
Common Starling
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisWinter visitormarsupium photography · CC BY-SA 2.0
American Black Duck
American Black DuckAnas rubripesWinter visitorALAN SCHMIERER · CC0
Hen Harrier
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusWinter visitorKositoes · Public domain
American Crow
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentUnknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0
Rock Dove
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentwilliam_stephens · CC BY 4.0
American Herring Gull
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusSummer visitorUnknown author · Public domain
Canada Goose
Canada GooseBranta canadensisWinter visitorPierre5018 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Goosander
GoosanderMergus merganserWinter visitorTony Hisgett · CC BY 2.0
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisWinter visitorRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
Northern Raven
Northern RavenCorvus coraxResidentDidier Descouens · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mourning Dove
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

126 species, counted.

70out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 126Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 79Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 6ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 3,761Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 9Raptors
  • 23Waders
  • 11Gulls & seabirds
  • 16Ducks & geese
  • 4Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 1Storks & cranes
  • 51Songbirds
  • 11Other birds

From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.

The checklist

All 126 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • MerlinFalco columbarius
  • Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
  • Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
  • Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
  • Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
  • Turkey VultureCathartes aura
Waders23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
  • Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
  • Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
  • WilletTringa semipalmata
  • Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
  • Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
  • Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
  • White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
  • Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • SanderlingCalidris alba
  • Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
  • Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
  • American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
  • Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
  • Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
  • Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
  • Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
Gulls & seabirds11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
  • Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
  • Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • Northern gannetMorus bassanus
  • Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
  • European Herring GullLarus argentatus
  • Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
  • Common LoonGavia immer
  • Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
  • Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
Ducks & geese16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • American Black DuckAnas rubripes
  • Canada GooseBranta canadensis
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • American WigeonMareca americana
  • Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
  • GoosanderMergus merganser
  • Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
  • Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
  • Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
  • American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
  • Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
  • Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
  • Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
Herons, ibises & grebes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
  • Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds51 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
  • Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
  • American RobinTurdus migratorius
  • Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
  • Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
  • Northern RavenCorvus corax
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
  • American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
  • Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
  • Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
  • Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
  • Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
  • White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
  • Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
  • Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
  • American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
  • Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
  • Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
  • Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
  • Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
  • Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
  • Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
  • Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
  • Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus
  • Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
  • Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
  • Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
  • BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
  • Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
  • Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
  • Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
  • Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
  • Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
  • Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
  • Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
  • Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
  • American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
  • Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
  • Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
  • Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
  • Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
  • Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
  • Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
  • Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
Other birds11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
  • Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
  • Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
  • Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
  • Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
  • Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
  • Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
  • Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
  • Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus

Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.

When to go

The most species in July.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan18-3°/-10°80 mm
  2. Feb11-3°/-10°82 mm
  3. Mar00°/-6°76 mm
  4. Apr456°/-1°83 mm
  5. May5012°/5°80 mm
  6. Jun5917°/10°99 mm
  7. Jul9322°/16°81 mm
  8. Aug8322°/16°87 mm
  9. Sep7418°/12°94 mm
  10. Oct6312°/7°108 mm
  11. Nov206°/1°106 mm
  12. Dec20°/-5°111 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Malpeque Bay.

Bay in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Malpeque Bay is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Canada.

126 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,761 open records.

The most recorded are the Greater Yellowlegs, the Semipalmated Plover and the Grey Plover.

61 species come for the summer, 15 for the winter and 3 only pass through.

6 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Lesser yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitcher.

The most species are recorded in July.

Malpeque Fishing Boats (5304179634)
Carl Campbell from Querétaro, Mexico · CC BY-SA 2.0

Get there and watch

Plan the visit

A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

From above

The place and its surroundings.

The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Malpeque Bay seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around, in OpenStreetMap

  • 3campsites within 10 kmCabot Beach Campground, Twin Shores Camping Area, Green Park Campground
  • 2places to stay within 10 kmSeashell Motel, Lovely Green Gable Home
  • bird hides within 6 km
  • observation towers within 6 km
  • marked trails within 4 km
  • visitor centres within 6 km
  • viewpoints within 5 km
  • car parks within 3 km
  • restaurants and cafés within 3 km

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.

In our other atlases

Around Malpeque Bay.

The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.

Peakyas3 mountains within 25 km
Malpeque Sand Hills-1 m · 9.4 kmYankee Hill · 21 kmConway Sand Hills · 22 km
Coastya8 beaches within 10 km
Bunbury Sand · 1.5 kmMacLaurins Cove · 5.7 kmMacIntosh Shore · 6.6 kmKeirs Shore · 6.7 kmOyster Cove · 6.8 kmBentick Cove · 7.8 kmMandersons Cove · 8.4 kmWaites Shore · 9.4 km

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Other places nearby.

Malpeque Bay

Canada

  • 70Birdyas Score
  • 126Species
  • 79Migrants
  • 6Threatened

Shepody Bay

Canada · 101 km

  • 85Birdyas Score
  • 180Species
  • 111Migrants
  • 10Threatened

See the guide

Mary's Point

Canada · 116 km

  • 84Birdyas Score
  • 212Species
  • 142Migrants
  • 9Threatened

See the guide

Chignecto Bay

Canada · 127 km

  • 68Birdyas Score
  • 127Species
  • 69Migrants
  • 6Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q2879661) · CC0
Birds3,761 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
See these recordsgbif.org
SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Sister atlasesPeakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Darkskyas

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.