Your coin was designed by Canadian artist Tony Bianco, and features a vibrantly coloured eastern meadowlark as it stands perched on a wooden fencepost, mid-chant, amidst a field of wildflowers and grasses.
Every summer, a melodic song like a sliding whistle fills the air above the open fields and grasslands of southern Ontario and east to the St. Lawrence Valley. It's the happy tune of the eastern meadowlark, a medium-sized songbird that isn't a lark, but a member of the blackbird family.
This cheerful bird often sings in full view from an exposed branch or fence post, and its vibrant colours make it easy to spot. It has a yellow throat and belly, and a distinctive black v-shaped collar. In contrast, its back and wings are a darker pattern of mottled black and brown—the perfect camouflage for walking on the ground and digging in the soil for insects.
When the meadowlark flies, it alternates between a few rapid wing beats and graceful glides—a distinctive flight pattern that only adds to the endearing nature of this delightful bird.
Specifications
Mintage 17500
Composition cupronickel
Finish specimen
Weight (g) 0.5
Diameter (mm)35
Edge plain
Certificate serialized
Face value 25 cents
Artist Tony Bianco (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)