What Is the Provincial Bird of Prince Edward Island?

Prince Edward Island's provincial bird is the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). It was officially named the provincial bird in 1977, following a province-wide public vote held in 1976. Under PEI's Provincial Emblems and Honours Act, it is formally designated as the "avian emblem of the province", but the government's own symbols page calls it the provincial bird, so both terms refer to the same designation.

Provincial bird vs. state bird: a quick note

This site is primarily a reference for official U.S. state birds, so it's worth clarifying the difference when you land here looking for PEI. Canadian provinces designate "provincial birds" the same way U.S. states designate "state birds", it's an official government symbol that represents the province. The process, the intent, and the permanence are all equivalent. PEI's Blue Jay sits alongside its floral emblem (the lady's slipper) and its animal emblem (the red fox) as one of the province's core official symbols. If you've been researching provincial birds across Canada, you'll find similar designations for Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and other provinces, each chosen through their own official processes. Saskatchewan’s provincial bird is the ruffed grouse. British Columbia's official provincial bird is the same kind of government-recognized emblem as other provinces' birds, chosen through its own official process provincial bird of British Columbia.

What the Blue Jay looks and sounds like

The Blue Jay is a large, bold songbird in the corvid family. PEI's official symbols page describes it as "easily identified by its prominent sky-blue hood, wings and tail feathers." In the field, you're looking for a bird with blue, white, and black plumage, a distinctive perky feather crest on top of its head, and a sturdy black bill. It's noticeably bigger than most backyard birds, not a bird you're likely to overlook or misidentify once you see one up close.

The call is equally unmistakable. Henry David Thoreau described it as an "unrelenting steel-cold scream", which is a poetic way of saying it's loud and harsh. Blue Jays are not shy about announcing themselves, and that raucous, jay-jay-jay call is one of the most recognizable sounds in eastern North American forests. If you're trying to confirm a sighting, the combination of the blue crest, the bold patterning, and the noisy call is a reliable three-point check.

Why PEI chose the Blue Jay

The short answer is: Islanders chose it themselves. In 1976, PEI held a province-wide vote to select an official bird, and the Blue Jay won. The government then officially named it the provincial bird in 1977. That democratic selection process is worth noting because it's not the most common way provincial or state birds get designated, many are chosen by legislatures or committees, not by public vote. The Blue Jay's win reflects genuine popular recognition: it's a year-round resident of PEI, familiar to anyone who feeds birds or spends time outdoors on the island, and its bold appearance makes it easy for both adults and children to identify.

Legally, the designation is codified in Section 2 of PEI's Provincial Emblems and Honours Act, under Part 1 – Provincial Emblems, labeled "Avian emblem of the province." The statutory language reads: "The bird known scientifically as Cyanocitta cristata (L.) and popularly known as the blue jay is adopted as and shall be the avian emblem of the province." The version of the Act confirmed current to May 6, 2022 retains this wording unchanged, so the designation is firmly in place.

How to confirm the designation today

If you want to verify this yourself rather than take anyone's word for it, here are the most reliable sources to check, in order of authority:

1. PEI Government official symbols page (gov.pe.ca) — the Executive Council Office maintains a "Provincial Bird" section that names the Blue Jay, gives the scientific name Cyanocitta cristata, and cites the 1976 vote and 1977 official naming.
2. PEI's Provincial Emblems and Honours Act — search for "Avian emblem" and you'll find Section 2 with the exact statutory language including the scientific and popular name.
3. Canada.ca provincial and territorial symbols — the federal government's own symbols reference confirms PEI's provincial bird as the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), officially adopted in 1977.

One mix-up to watch for: PEI's official page lists multiple emblems on the same page, including the provincial animal (red fox) and the provincial flower (lady's slipper). Make sure you're reading the "Provincial Bird" or "Avian Emblem" section specifically, not the animal or floral emblem sections. The red fox and the blue jay are both PEI symbols, but they're different categories.

Does any U.S. state share the Blue Jay as its official bird?

No U.S. state has officially designated the Blue Jay as its state bird. The Blue Jay is native and common across the eastern and central United States, so it's a familiar bird to many Americans, but none of the 50 states have chosen it as their official symbol. This makes PEI somewhat distinctive, it's one of the few official jurisdictions in North America to have formally recognized the Blue Jay as its avian emblem. If you're comparing PEI's designation to U.S. state birds, the closest parallel in terms of the corvid family would be states that have chosen other bold, recognizable birds, though no direct equivalent exists. For cross-provincial comparisons, other Canadian provinces have gone in different directions: Ontario's provincial bird is the common loon, and Nova Scotia's is the osprey, for example. If you're also wondering about Nova Scotia specifically, its provincial bird is the osprey Nova Scotia's is the osprey. Ontario’s provincial bird, the common loon, is a different official symbol than PEI’s Blue Jay Ontario's provincial bird is the common loon.

PEI stands out as the only Canadian province to have chosen the Blue Jay, and the public-vote origin of that choice makes it one of the more democratically grounded bird designations anywhere in North America. You might also be curious about the bird emblem of South Australia, which is selected as an official symbol for the state. If you're building a broader comparison of provincial and state birds, that 1976 vote is a detail worth remembering.