Bird's
Canada's national bird-conservation organization, combining scientific research with volunteer-based monitoring and habitat conservation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Birds Canada is a Canadian bird-conservation organization focused on improving knowledge of wild birds, supporting their conservation, and encouraging public appreciation of birds and their habitats. The organization originated in 1960 as the Long Point Bird Observatory in southern Ontario. As its research and monitoring activities expanded beyond the Long Point area, it adopted the name Bird Studies Canada in 1998. In 2019, it adopted the name Birds Canada to communicate its national scope more directly. The organization operates through a combination of professional science, public engagement, volunteer observation, and collaborative conservation. Its work depends heavily on thousands of volunteers, described by the organization as Citizen Scientists, who collect observations and participate in structured monitoring programs. Professional scientists help design, coordinate, and interpret these activities, allowing information gathered locally to contribute to regional, national, and international assessments of bird populations and habitat conditions. Birds Canada's activities span local, regional, national, and international settings. Its work is not centered on selling consumer goods; instead, its principal offerings are conservation programs, scientific datasets, monitoring networks, educational resources, and opportunities for the public to contribute to field research. This model gives the organization a broad constituency that includes volunteers, members, researchers, conservation partners, land managers, and members of the interested public. One of the organization's internationally significant programs is Motus, a wildlife-tracking network launched in the United States and Canada in 2014. Motus uses automated receiver stations to detect signals from small radio transmitters attached to animals, enabling researchers to study movement, migration, stopover use, and survival. By 2022, more than 1,500 receiver stations had been installed in 34 countries, with most stations concentrated in the United States and Canada. The network illustrates Birds Canada's role in connecting field technology, distributed infrastructure, and collaborative ecological research across borders. Birds Canada's national headquarters are located near Port Rowan and Long Point in Ontario, maintaining a connection with the landscape where the organization began. Its public positioning is evidence-led, volunteer-powered, and conservation-oriented. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional commercial brand, Birds Canada functions as a national nonprofit conservation institution whose visibility and impact depend on participation, scientific credibility, and partnerships. Patrick Nadeau is identified as its president in the referenced material.
History
Birds Canada traces its origins to the Long Point Bird Observatory, established in 1960 in southern Ontario. The observatory provided a base for systematic observation and research on birds in and around the Long Point region. Over time, the organization's activities developed beyond a single observatory and came to include broader monitoring, research, public participation, and conservation initiatives. In 1998, the organization changed its name to Bird Studies Canada. The change reflected the expansion of its scientific programs and its increasingly national role. Under that identity, it developed a model in which professional scientists worked with large numbers of volunteers to gather information about birds and their habitats. Volunteers supplied observations and field effort, while scientific staff guided program design, data collection, and interpretation. This approach enabled local observations to contribute to larger-scale understanding of bird populations and environmental change. The organization later adopted the name Birds Canada in 2019. The new name presented its national mandate in more accessible terms and distinguished the organization from a narrowly defined research institute. Its mission remained centered on advancing understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats through the combined efforts of volunteers, members, staff, scientists, and the interested public. A significant development in Birds Canada's history was the creation of Motus, a collaborative wildlife-tracking network launched in Canada and the United States in 2014. Motus uses receiver stations to detect radio-tagged animals as they move through the landscape. The system supports research into migration routes, movement patterns, stopover areas, and other aspects of wildlife ecology. Its distributed structure allows many independent projects to use a shared tracking infrastructure. By 2022, the network had expanded to more than 1,500 receiver stations in 34 countries, although most stations remained in Canada and the United States. Birds Canada continues to operate as a national bird-conservation organization headquartered near Port Rowan and Long Point, Ontario. Its activities combine scientific research, monitoring, conservation engagement, and public participation at local, regional, national, and international scales. The organization is particularly associated with citizen science: thousands of volunteers contribute observations and field work under the guidance of professional scientists. This makes participation itself a central part of Birds Canada's operating model and public identity. The referenced material identifies Patrick Nadeau as president.
- 2022
Motus reaches more than 1,500 receiver stations
[1]The Motus network had more than 1,500 receiver stations operating in 34 countries.
- 2019
Organization renamed Birds Canada
[1]The organization adopted Birds Canada as its public name to express its national bird-conservation mandate.
- 2014
Motus wildlife-tracking network launched
[1]Birds Canada launched Motus in Canada and the United States as a collaborative automated radio-tracking network for wildlife research.
- 1998
Name changed to Bird Studies Canada
[1]The organization adopted Bird Studies Canada as its activities expanded into a broader national research and monitoring role.
- 1960
Long Point Bird Observatory established
[1]The organization began as the Long Point Bird Observatory in southern Ontario, establishing the foundation for its later research and conservation work.
Products and positioning
A science-based, volunteer-powered national organization that advances bird conservation through monitoring, research, public participation, and habitat awareness.
Wildlife tracking network · 2014
Motus Wildlife Tracking System
Motus is an automated radio-telemetry network developed by Birds Canada with partners in Canada and the United States. Receiver stations detect signals from radio transmitters attached to birds and other animals, allowing researchers to study movement, migration, habitat use, and related ecological questions. The network is designed as shared infrastructure: stations distributed across landscapes can support multiple research projects, linking local field studies with international movement data.
Conservation monitoring
Citizen-science bird monitoring
Birds Canada organizes and supports monitoring activities in which volunteers collect observations and participate in field research. Professional scientists guide these efforts, helping turn distributed observations into information about bird populations, habitats, and conservation priorities. The model makes public participation a core component of the organization's research and conservation work.
Research and public engagement
Bird conservation research and education
The organization's broader offering consists of scientific studies, monitoring programs, conservation knowledge, and public-facing opportunities intended to increase understanding and appreciation of wild birds and their habitats. Programs can operate at local, regional, national, and international levels and involve staff, volunteers, members, scientists, and the wider public.
Brand decisions
2019
Rebranded as Birds CanadaStrategyBackground
The organization sought a name that communicated its national scope and its focus on birds and conservation more directly.
Action taken
Bird Studies Canada adopted Birds Canada as its name.
Aftermath
The rebrand positioned the organization as Canada's national bird-conservation organization.
2014
Launched the Motus wildlife-tracking networkProduct launchBackground
Researchers needed collaborative infrastructure for tracking the movements of birds and other small animals across broad geographic areas.
Action taken
Birds Canada launched Motus with partners in Canada and the United States.
Aftermath
The network expanded internationally and had more than 1,500 receiver stations in 34 countries by 2022.
1998
Adopted the Bird Studies Canada nameStrategyBackground
The original observatory-based organization had developed a wider national research and monitoring role.
Action taken
It changed its name from Long Point Bird Observatory to Bird Studies Canada.
Aftermath
The new identity reflected a broader mandate while retaining the organization's connection to bird research and conservation.
Recent events
- 2022
Motus network exceeds 1,500 receiver stations across 34 countries[1]
Other
The international Motus network had grown to more than 1,500 receiver stations in 34 countries, with most infrastructure located in Canada and the United States.
- 2019
Bird Studies Canada becomes Birds Canada[1]
Other
The organization adopted the Birds Canada name to reflect its national identity and the breadth of its bird-conservation work.
- 2014
Motus wildlife-tracking network launches in Canada and the United States[1]
Product launch
Birds Canada launched the Motus network with partners in the United States and Canada, creating infrastructure for automated radio-tracking of migratory and other wildlife.
- 1998
Long Point Bird Observatory adopts the name Bird Studies Canada[1]
Other
The organization changed its name to Bird Studies Canada as its research and conservation activities expanded beyond its original Long Point base.
Sources3 sources
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