Welcome to Manuels River!

Manuels River Natural Heritage Society

There are many different species of birds in Newfoundland and Labrador, many of which can be found in and around the Manuels River and other river systems. Here are a few of the bird species you may see flying in the sky above the linear park.

The belted kingfisher is a large bird, with a distinct blue and white colouring and a ragged crest of feathers atop its head. It has a unique shrill "rattling" to its call, and is quite often referred to as the watch dog of the river.

The Manuels River offers this bird an ideal habitat. While it will sometimes eat small frogs, dragonflies and other insects, its main source of food is fish. It was once thought that the kingfisher was harmful to game fish, but it is in fact quite beneficial since it preys mainly on slow sluggish fish that eat the young trout in the river.

The belted kingfisher builds its nest in high embankments and burrows tunnels in the earth which can reach over 2 meters long. Mated for life, the female can be easily distinguished from the male by a distinct reddish band of feathers on their bluish-grey chest. It is quite rare to see more than one mated pair in a given area.

The belted kingfisher has been adopted as the mascot for the Manuels River Natural Heritage Society, and can often be seen fishing near the bubble pond on the river.

The osprey is a large predatory bird which closely resembles the eagle. Adults usually have dark brown feathers with a white underside, and a white head with broad black streaks running across their cheeks. An adult osprey's wingspan can reach up to 1.8 meters.

The osprey is a migratory bird that returns to the Manuels River each year. It can usually be seen near the Flat's area or along the shoreline diving for fish.

The American robin, a true thrush, is one of the largest and most numerous of American thrushes, with a body about 25 cm long. The male is olive-gray; the top and sides of the head are black, the chin and throat are white with black streaks and the breast and under parts are reddish orange. The female has similar colouring but is more subdued. The bird migrates and lives close to human dwellings, and builds its nest out of coarse grass and reeds and plasters the inside with mud and lines it with grasses.

The robin is often called the "harbinger of spring" because of its early northward migration which brings its arrival before most other migratory birds and because of its size and song; it is usually the first of the summer birds to be noted among humans.

The dark-eyed junco is a small North American bird that lives in coniferous or mixed forests living just about everywhere on the continent. It is 13 to 16 centimeters long, and the feathers are dark gray above and white below. This perching bird winters in city parks and fields and eats seeds and the occasional insect.

The black-capped chickadee is fairly common bird that can be found in backyards and woodlands throughout North America. It averages around 13 centimeters in length, and is easily recognizable with its black cap, white cheeks and black bib. Both the males and females have similar colouring and appearance.

The distinct "chick-a-dee-dee" call of the black-capped chickadee is one of the most complex vocalizations in the animal kingdom. Depending on slight variations in the phrases, the call can convey separate, unique messages, in addition to acting as a contact or alarm call.

The Arctic tern is a small bird that makes the longest migration of any bird in the world. It breeds in the Arctic tundra in the summer and flies to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during the winter. This bird travels over 35,000 kilometers each year.

This bird is about 30 to 38 centimeters long and weighs about 300 grams. Its feet are webbed, the legs are short and red, and the head is rounded and white with a black cap.

The Arctic tern eats mostly small fish, and to a lesser degree insects, shrimp, and krill. A highly social bird, it lives in large colonies and has a life span of about 20 years.

The northern blue jay, also known as Steller's jay, is a common widespread bird related to the crow. It is 28 to 30 centimeters long and has blue feathers with a black head and crest. The coloration of the males and females is identical so there is no easy way to tell them apart.

Also known as the Common Flicker, the yellowhammer is one of the more common woodpeckers found in North America. They are grayish-brown in colour, with broken black bars on the body feathers, a black two-pointed tail, and a red band at the nape of the neck. The male can be easily distinguished from the female by its "moustache", a band of black feathers on its cheeks.

Ants are the favorite food of the yellowhammer, although it does eat other insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars. They also eat seeds, nuts and berries, with the berries of the poison ivy plant appearing to be a favorite.