50 Fun Facts About State Birds

Which bird is the official state bird of Hawaii?

Also called the Hawaiian goose, it was adopted in 1957 and is found nowhere else in the wild.

New Mexico's state bird is which famously fast desert runner?

Adopted in 1949. Its scientific name, Geococcyx californianus, literally means 'Californian earth-cuckoo'.

Which state chose the scissor-tailed flycatcher as its state bird in 1951?

The bird's forked tail can be longer than its body. It also appears on Oklahoma's state quarter.

Minnesota's state bird, adopted in 1961, is which water bird?

Its eerie call is a soundtrack of northern lakes. The loon also appears on Canada's one-dollar 'loonie' coin.

Which state adopted the eastern brown pelican as its state bird in 1966?

Louisiana's nickname is the Pelican State, and the bird appears on its flag feeding its young.

Utah's state bird is a gull named after which other state?

Mormon lore credits flocks of gulls with devouring a cricket plague that threatened the 1848 harvest.

Delaware's official state bird is which domestic animal?

Adopted in 1939, it honors a Revolutionary War regiment nicknamed the Blue Hen's Chickens. It is also the University of Delaware's mascot.

Which state's official bird is a red-feathered breed of domestic chicken?

The Rhode Island Red was developed in the state in the 1800s and became the state bird in 1954.

Arizona's state bird, adopted in 1931, is which species?

It is the largest wren in the United States and often nests inside cholla cactus.

Which state chose a quail as its official bird in 1931?

The California quail is recognizable by its forward-curling head plume and was adopted the same year Arizona picked the cactus wren.

South Dakota's state bird is which introduced game species?

The pheasant is native to Asia and was brought to the state in the early 1900s. South Dakota is one of three states that allow hunting of its state bird.

Which state's official bird is the willow ptarmigan?

The ptarmigan turns white in winter and feathers its feet like snowshoes. Alaska adopted it in 1955.

Colorado's state bird is which prairie songbird?

Breeding males are black with a white wing patch. Colorado adopted it in 1931.

Which state adopted the brown thrasher as its state bird in 1928?

Atlanta's NHL team, the Thrashers, was named for it. Georgia also has a separate state game bird, the bobwhite quail.

Maryland's state bird shares its name with which MLB team?

The Baltimore oriole was adopted in 1947. Its orange and black plumage matches the colors of Lord Baltimore's coat of arms.

Vermont's state bird, adopted in 1941, is which songbird?

Its flute-like song is considered one of the finest of any North American bird.

New Hampshire's state bird, adopted in 1957, is which species?

Adopted in 1957. Despite the name, the male looks more raspberry-red than purple.

Alabama's state bird, the yellowhammer, is a local name for which woodpecker?

Alabama's nickname is the Yellowhammer State, a term that dates to Confederate soldiers' yellow-trimmed uniforms.

Idaho and Nevada share which state bird?

Idaho chose it in 1931 and Nevada followed in 1967. The male is a striking sky-blue all over.

Missouri and New York share which state bird?

Missouri adopted it in 1927; New York waited until 1970, making it the last state to choose a bird.

Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming all claim which bird?

Six states share it, second only to the cardinal. Its bright yellow breast carries a black V.

Which two states list the 'eastern goldfinch' as their state bird?

Both mean the American goldfinch. Washington has the same species under a third name, the willow goldfinch.

Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin share which familiar backyard bird?

Michigan picked it in 1931, Connecticut in 1943 and Wisconsin in 1949.

Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee share which state bird?

Five states claim it. The species name polyglottos means 'many-tongued', a nod to its mimicry.

The ko'ko', a flightless rail, is the official bird of which US territory?

The Guam rail was driven extinct in the wild by the invasive brown tree snake, then reintroduced from captive flocks.

The District of Columbia designated which bird in 1938?

DC picked its bird 32 years before New York became the last state to choose one.

Which territory's official bird is the bananaquit?

The tiny nectar-feeder is locally called the yellow breast. The Virgin Islands adopted it in 1970.

Which territory's bird is a fruit dove?

The Mariana fruit-dove is green with a crimson forehead and appears on the territory's flag-bearing seal.

Which state has never chosen an official state bird?

It does have a state game bird, the ruffed grouse, named in 1931.

Which bird is the state game bird of the one state with no official state bird?

The grouse 'drums' by beating its wings on a log to attract mates, a sound often mistaken for an engine starting.

Which state was the first to adopt an official state bird, in 1926?

Kentucky picked the cardinal. A women's-club campaign then prompted a wave of adoptions in 1927.

Which was the last state to officially adopt a state bird, in 1970?

New York went with the eastern bluebird, 44 years after Kentucky started the trend.

How many states have the northern cardinal as their state bird?

Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. No other bird comes close.

Which organization campaigned in the 1920s for states to name official birds?

Alabama, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming all picked birds in response to the campaign.

Which of these states permits hunting of its own state bird?

Alaska, California and South Dakota all allow it; the quail, ptarmigan and pheasant are classic game birds.

In 2017 Oregon named which bird its official state raptor?

The same 2017 law made the western meadowlark the official state songbird, ending a 90-year limbo.

Idaho designated which bird its state raptor in 2004?

Boise is home to the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey, which helped bring the species back from near extinction.

New Hampshire's state raptor, named in 2019, is which species?

A fourth-grade class first proposed it in 2015; the bill failed that year and passed four years later.

Wisconsin named which bird its state symbol of peace in 1971?

The designation was symbolic; Wisconsin later reopened a hunting season on the species in 2003.

Mississippi's official state waterfowl, named in 1974, is which species?

South Carolina named the same bird its state duck in 2009. Males are among the most colorful ducks in North America.

Alabama and Massachusetts both designated which bird as their state game bird?

South Carolina calls it the state wild game bird. Four states in total give the turkey an official title.

Missouri and Tennessee share which state game bird?

The bird is named for its whistled 'bob-WHITE' call. Georgia adopted it in 1970.

Which state's mockingbird lost its title in 1948 after just nine years?

The wren took over. South Carolina has since added a game bird, a duck and a migratory bird to its list.

Maine's state bird is listed simply as which bird, with no species specified?

In practice it is treated as the black-capped chickadee, which Massachusetts names explicitly as its own state bird.

In 2025 Delaware named the red knot as its state what?

Red knots stop in Delaware Bay each spring to gorge on horseshoe crab eggs during a 9,000-mile migration.

Which bird is displayed on American Samoa's flag, though the territory has no official bird?

The eagle on the flag carries a Samoan war club and fly whisk, symbols of the territory's ties to the US.

The spindalis, once called the stripe-headed tanager, is the de facto bird of which territory?

The Puerto Rican spindalis has never been made official by law, unlike the birds of Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Of the 50 states, how many do NOT have a unique state bird?

Only 18 states have a bird no other state claims. The cardinal, meadowlark and mockingbird account for 18 states between them.

Which state adopted the northern cardinal most recently, in 1950?

Illinois chose it in 1929, Ohio and Indiana in 1933, North Carolina in 1943 and West Virginia in 1949.

Which state's goldfinch is officially listed as the 'willow goldfinch'?

Washington adopted it in 1951. It is the same species Iowa and New Jersey call the eastern goldfinch.