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List of birds of Nunavut

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The Canadian territory of Nunavut has over 100 species of birds nearly all of which are migratory, with only the common raven, the snowy owl and the rock ptarmigan spending the winter. Most, if not all birds migrate to Nunavut for breeding purposes and tend to return to the same nesting grounds each year.

Birds may be found all through Nunavut but not all birds are to be seen throughout the territory. Thus the horned lark can be found in all areas or Nunavut, except Ellesmere Island, the sparrow is rarely found outside of the mainland and the plovers are usually found only on the east coasts of Baffin Island and Ellesmere Island.

Along with the regular birds can be found the occasional vagrant such as the barn swallow or blue jay but they are not covered here.

Traditional usage

Beside a food source the Inuit had several other ways of using birds:

  • Skins from larger birds were used as towels.
  • Wings may have been used to dust or sweep.
  • Skins were used as make containers, slippers and if caribou were scarce parkas.
  • Children, mainly boys, would often learn to hunt by throwing stones at small birds.

There are several dialects of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun plus two alphabets, Inuktitut syllabics and Latin. The Inuit name or spelling may differ from one region to another and in extreme cases from one community to another. Thus the word bird may be: ᑎᖕᒥᐊᑦ or tingmiaq.

Ducks (mitiq, mitik), geese and swans

  • Tundra swan (ᖁᒡᔪᒃ, qugjuq, qugyuk) Cygnus columbianus
    • Bewick's swan (qugjuk) Cygnus columbianus bewickii
  • Greater white-fronted goose (ᓂᕐᓕᒃ, nirlivik, niglik) Anser albifrons
  • Snow goose (ᑲᖑᖅ, kanguq) Chen caerulescens
  • Ross's goose (ᖄᕌᕐᔪᒃ) Chen rossii or Anser rossii
  • Brant (ᓂᕐᓕᖕᓇᖅ, nirliq, nigliknak) Branta bernicla
  • Canada goose (ᓂᕐᓕᖅ ᐅᓗᐊᒍᓪᓕᒃ, uluagullik) Branta canadensis
  • Northern pintail (ᖁᒻᒧᐊᔫᖅ, qummnajunq (flies toward sky)) Anas acuta
  • Common eider (ᒥᑎᖅ ᐊᒪᐅᓕᒡᔪᐊᖅ, mitiq, female: hurluktuq, male: amaulik) Somateria mollissima
  • King eider (ᒥᑎᖅ ᕿᖔᓕᒃ, female: mitiinnaq, male: qingalik, qingalaaq (one with a nose)) Somateria spectabilis
  • Harlequin duck (ᐃᕕᒐᖅ, tulajun (flies short distances and lands)) Histrionicus histrionicus
  • Long-tailed duck (long-tailed duck, ᐊᒡᒋᐊᕐᔪᒃ (ᐊᒡᒋᖅ), aahanngiq, ahaanliq) Clangula hyemalis
  • Red-breasted merganser (ᑲᔾᔨᖅᑑᖅ, nujaralik (looks to have hair)) Mergus serrator

Loons

  • Arctic loon (black-throated loon, ᑲᒡᓗᓕᒃ, marliq, Kaglulik) Gavia arctica
  • Red-throated loon (ᖃᖅᓴᐅᖅ, qaqhauq, qaqsauq) Gavia stellata
  • Pacific loon (ᖃᖅᓴᐅᑦ ᐊᐃᑉᐸᖏᑦ) Gavia pacifica
  • Common loon (great northern loon, ᑑᓪᓕᒡᔪᐊᖅ, tuulligjuak) Gavia immer
  • Yellow-billed loon (ᑑᓪᓕᒡᔪᐊᖅ, tuullik) Gavia adamsii

Tubenoses

Birds of prey

  • Rough-legged hawk (rough-legged buzzard, ᑳᔫᖅ (ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ), qirliq) Buteo lagopus

Falcons

  • Peregrine falcon (ᑭᒡᒐᕕᐊᕐᔪᒃ, kilgavik) Falco peregrinus tundrius
  • Gyrfalcon (ᑭᒡᒐᕕᒃ, kilgavikpak) Falco rusticolus

Grouse

Cranes

Plovers

Typical waders

Jaegers (skuas, ᐃᓱᙵᖅ, ihunngait, ihunngaq, isunngait)

  • Pomarine jaeger (pomarine skua, ᐃᓱᙵᕐᓗᒃ, isunngarluk) Stercorarius pomarinus
  • Parasitic jaeger (ᐃᓱᙵᖅ ᓂᐸᖏᐊᖅ, isunngaq nipangiaq) Stercorarius parasiticus
  • Long-tailed jaeger (ᐃᓱᙵᖅ, isunngaq) Stercorarius longicaudus

Gulls (ᓇᐅᔭᖅ, naujaq)

  • Herring gull (ᓇᐅᔭ ᖃᒃᓯᒃ, nauja quksik) Larus argentatus
  • Iceland gull (ᓇᐅᔭᕕᒃ) Larus glaucoides
  • Glaucous gull (ᓇᐅᔭᕕᒡᔪᐊᖅ, ᕐᑲᐅᒪᐅᒃ, naujaq, naujavigjuaq) Larus hyperboreus
  • Thayer's gull (ᓇᐅᔭᕕᒃ, iqalgagiaq) Larus thayeri
  • Ross's gull (ᓇᐅᔭ) Rhodostethia rosea
  • Ivory gull (ᓇᐅᔭᕚᖅ, naujavaaq) Pagophila eburnea
  • Black-legged kittiwake (ᑎᕋᑎᕌᖅ, tiratira) Rissa tridactyla
  • Sabine's gull (ᐃᕐᑭᒡᒐᒋᐊᕐᔪᒃ, iqalgagiaq, iqilgagiqq, iqqiggagiarjuk) Xema sabini

Terns

  • Arctic tern (ᐃᒥᖅᑯᑕᐃᓚᖅ, imitqutailaq, imiqqutailaq) Sterna paradisaea

Auks (tuulligjuak)

  • Atlantic puffin (ᓯᒡᒍᑲᓪᓚᓖᑦ ᑎᖕᒥᐊᑦ) Fratercula arctica
  • Black guillemot (ᐱᑦᑎᐅᓛᖅ (ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ), pittiulaaq) Cepphus grylle
  • Dovekie (little auk, ᐊᒃᐸᓕᐊᕐᔪᒃ (ᐊᑉᐸᓕᐊᕐᔪᒃ), akpaliarjuk) Alle alle
  • Razorbill (ᐊᒃᐸᐃᑦ ᐊᐃᑉᐸᖏᑦ) Alca torda
  • Thick-billed murre (ᐊᒃᐸ, atpa, akpa) Uria lomvia

Owls

  • Snowy owl (ᐅᒃᐱᒡᔪᐊᖅ, ukpik, upik, ookpik) Bubo scandiacus

Larks

  • Horned lark (ᖃᐅᕈᓪᓕᒐᖅ, qupanuaqpaarjuk) Eremophila alpestris

Pipits

  • American pipit (buff-bellied pipit, ᖃᐃᕐᖔᖅ, qupanuaq) Anthus rubescens

Wheatears

Crows

Finches

  • Common redpoll (ᓴᒃᓴᒋᐊᖅ, hakhagiaq) Acanthis flammea
  • Hoary redpoll (Arctic redpoll, ᓴᒃᓴᒋᐊᖅ, hakhagiaq) Acanthis hornemanni

Longspurs and snow buntings

  • Lapland longspur (ᕿᕐᓂᖅᑖᖅ, qupanuaq, nahaullik) Calcarius lapponicus
  • Snow bunting (ᖃᐅᓪᓗᖅᑖᖅ, amauliqaq, amaulikkaaq, amauligijuaq (looks like it has a hood from a woman's parka)) Plectrophenax nivalis

Buntings and American sparrows

See also

Citations

Further reading

  • Birds of Nunavut - Introduction by J.S. Wendt, bird descriptions by M. Wyndham (Canadian Wildlife Service) and traditional knowledge by Eva Arreak, published by the Baffin Divisional Board of Education. ISBN 1-55036-544-4 (This is not the same book as Birds of Nunavut v3.5 by Peter W. Thayer ISBN 1-887148-78-7)
  • G. Ohokak, M. Kadlun & B. Harnum Inuinnaqtun-English Dictionary published by the Kitikmeot Heritage Society and based upon Kangiryuarniut Uqauhingita Numiktittidjutingit by R. Lowe
  • Asuilaak Living Dictionary
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