(Adapted from Harding and Alder, 1999 - Living landscapes Website - in prep.).

Starlings and English sparrows, of which the former is a serious predator of native birds' eggs and nestlings, are easily recognized exotic birds. The crested myna of Vancouver is merely an interesting curiosity. The other introduced birds in British Columbia, however, are "exotic" in both meanings of the word: alien, and interesting. They include the game birds northern bobwhite, California quail, ring-necked pheasant, chukar, wild turkey (now becoming abundant in parts of the East Kootenay), gray partridge and American black duck, as well as the non-game species, rock dove (common domestic pidgeon), mute swan and Eurasin skylark. Of these, only the wild turkey and pheasant have established sizeable wild populations in the Columbia Basin. Some California quail, chukar and gray partridges can still be seen in the Thompson Okanagan, and may also occur in the Columbia Basin.