Birds are among the most popular ecosymbols, or symbols of Nature. They rank with mammals as the most popular animal symbols.
Let’s take a brief tour of birds of state.
National Birds ˆ
Many nations have national birds, ranging from the United States’ bald eagle to Angola’s Zenaida dove.
Unfortunately, I may not have time to work on my national symbols section until later in the year (2022). In the meantime, Wikipedia has a List of National Birds.
U.S. State Birds ˆ
After the 50 United States were swept with state flower fever, birds were next in line.
The three most popular state birds.
Today, several states have two official birds. Oklahoma and South Carolina have three! Many of these secondary state birds are designated official game birds, but state raptors appear to be a new fad.
However, birds were popular symbols even before the state symbols craze began. A number of states had nicknames inspired by birds. I learned to appreciate Nebraska’s nickname, Bug-Eating State, while watching nighthawks in action in neighboring South Dakota. What a spectacle!
Birds are also depicted on several state flags. New Mexico’s flag features a bald eagle and golden eagle, representing the United States and Mexico, respectively. Maryland’s state flag and bird, the Baltimore oriole, share similar colors.
Top right: My state flag proposal for Iowa, the Black Hawk State; Bottom, left to right: Flags of Louisiana and Maryland
Countless more birds reign as county and civic symbols. Birds have similarly inspired many place names, and there are many Audubon chapters that have avian mascots.
More state bird maps and information are available in the #1 state symbols reference, Geobop’s State Symbols.| List of State Birds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Designation | Species | |
| Alabama | yellowhammer [common flicker] (Colaptes auratus) | 1927 | |
| Game Bird | turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) | 1980 | |
| Alaska | willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) | 1955 | |
| Arizona | cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) | 1931 | |
| Arkansas | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1929 | |
| California | California quail (Callipepla californica) | 1931 | |
| Colorado | lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) | 1931 | |
| Connecticut | robin (Turdus migratorius) | 1943 | |
| Delaware | Blue Hen Chicken (Gallus gallus) | 1939 | |
| District of Columbia | wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) | ||
| Florida | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1927 | |
| Georgia | brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) | 1935 | |
| Game Bird | bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) | 1970 | |
| Hawaii | nene or Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis) | 1988 | |
| Idaho | mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) | 1931 | |
| Raptor | peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) | 2004 | |
| Illinois | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1929 | |
| Indiana | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1933 | |
| Iowa | eastern goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) | 1933 | |
| Kansas | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1937 | |
| Kentucky | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1926 | |
| Louisiana | brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) | 1966 | |
| Maine | Bird | chickadee (Poecile) | 1927 |
| Maryland | Bird | Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) | 1947 |
| Massachusetts | Bird | black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) | 1941 |
| Game Bird | turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) | 1991 | |
| Michigan | Bird | robin (Turdus migratorius) | 1931 |
| Bicentennial Bird | Kirtland’s warbler (Dendroica palmarum) | 1976 | |
| Minnesota | Bird | common loon (Gavia immer) | 1961 |
| Mississippi | Bird | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1944 |
| Waterfowl | wood duck (Aix sponsa) | 1974 | |
| Missouri | Bird | eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) | 1927 |
| Game Bird | bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) | 2007 | |
| Montana | Bird | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1931 |
| Nebraska | Bird | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1927 |
| Nevada | Bird | mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) | 1967 |
| New Hampshire | Bird | purple finch (Carpodacus purpureus) | 1957 |
| Raptor | red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) | 2019 | |
| New Jersey | Bird | eastern goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) | 1935 |
| New Mexico | Bird | roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) | 1949 |
| New York | Bird | eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) | 1970 |
| North Carolina | Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1943 |
| North Dakota | Bird | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1947 |
| Ohio | Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1933 |
| Oklahoma | Bird | scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) | 1951 |
| Game Bird | turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) | 1990 | |
| Raptor | red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) | 2018 | |
| Oregon | Songbird | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1927 |
| Raptor | osprey (Pandion haliaetus) | 2017 | |
| Pennsylvania | Game Bird | ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) | 1931 |
| Rhode Island | Bird | Rhode Island Red (Gallus gallus) | 1954 |
| South Carolina | Bird | Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) | 1948 |
| Bird (former) | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1930 | |
| Wild Game Bird | turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) | 1976 | |
| Duck | wood duck (Aix sponsa) | 2009 | |
| South Dakota | Bird | ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchichus) | 1943 |
| Tennessee | Bird | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1933 |
| Game Bird | bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) | 1988 | |
| Texas | Bird | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1927 |
| Utah | Bird | California gull (Larus californicus) | 1955 |
| Bird of Prey | golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) | 2022 | |
| Vermont | Bird | hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) | 1941 |
| Virginia | Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1950 |
| Washington | Bird | willow goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) | 1951 |
| West Virginia | Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1949 |
| Wisconsin | Bird | robin (Turdus migratorius) | 1949 |
| Symbol of Peace | mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) | 1971 | |
| Wyoming | Bird | western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1927 |
Canada ˆ
| List of Provincial Birds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Province | Species | Designation | |
| Alberta | great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) | 1977 | |
| British Columbia | Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) | 1987 | |
| Manitoba | great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) | 1987 | |
| New Brunswick | black capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) | 1983 | |
| Newfoundland | Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) | 1991 | |
| partridge, or ptarmigan (Lagopus) | Game Bird | ||
| Northwest Territories | gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) | 1990 | |
| Nova Scotia | osprey (Pandion haliaetus) | 1994 | |
| Nunavut | rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) | 2000 | |
| Ontario | common loon (Gavia immer) | 1994 | |
| Prince Edward Island | blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) | 1976 | |
| Quebec | snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) | 1987 | |
| Saskatchewan | sharp tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) | 1945 | |
| Yukon Territory | raven (Corvus corax) | 1985 | |
Japan ˆ
| List of Prefectural Birds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prefecture | Symbol | |
| Aichi | Japanese scops owl (Otus scops japonicus) | 1965 |
| Akita | copper pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii) | 1972 |
| Aomori | Bewick’s swan (Cygnus bewickii) | |
| Chiba | meadow bunting, long tailed bunting (Emberiza cioides) | 1965 |
| Ehime | Japanese robin (Erithacus akahige) | |
| Fukui | dusky thrush (Turdus naumanni) | |
| Fukuoka | bush warbler (Cettia diphone) | |
| Fukushima | Narcissus flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina) | |
| Gifu | rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) | |
| Gunma | copper pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii) | |
| Hiroshima | red throated loon (Gavia stellata) | |
| Hokkaido | Japanese crane (Grus japonensis) | |
| Hyogo | white stork, Japanese stork (Ciconia ciconia) | |
| Ibaraki | Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis) | 1965 |
| Ishikawa | golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) | |
| Iwate | green pheasant (Phasianus colchichus) | |
| Kagawa | lesser cuckoo, Oriental cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) | |
| Kagoshima | Lidth’s jay, purple jay (Garrulus lidthi) | |
| Kanagawa | common gull (Larus canus) | |
| Kochi | fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) | |
| Kumamoto | Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis) | 1966 |
| Kyoto | streaked shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) | |
| Mie | snowy plover, white plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) | |
| Miyagi | (white fronted?) goose (Anser albifrons) | 1965 |
| Miyazaki | Ijima copper pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii ijimae) | |
| Nagano | rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) | 1961 |
| Nagasaki | mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) | |
| Nara | Japanese robin (Erithacus akahige) | |
| Niigata | crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) | 1965 |
| Oita | Japanese white eye (Zosterops japonicus) | |
| Okayama | lesser cuckoo, Oriental cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) | |
| Okinawa | Okinawa woodpecker (Sapheopipo noguchii) | |
| Osaka | bull headed shrike (Lanius bucephalus) | |
| Saga | Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) | |
| Saitama | Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) | |
| Shiga | little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) | |
| Shimane | whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) | |
| Shizuoka | Asian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata) | |
| Tochigi | blue and white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana) | |
| Tokushima | great white egret, white heron (Ardea alba) | 1966 |
| Tokyo | black headed gull (Larus ridibundus) | |
| Tottori | mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) | 1964 |
| Toyama | rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) | |
| Wakayama | Japanese white eye (Zosterops japonicus) | |
| Yamagata | mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) | |
| Yamaguchi | hooded, white headed or Nabe crane (Grus monacha) | |
| Yamanashi | bush warbler (Cettia diphone) | |
Other Birds of State ˆ
Information about more avian symbols will be added to this site as I find time.
Of course, there are countless avian symbols beyond symbols of state that are beyond the scope of this site. A universal favorite is the dove of peace, while owls are commonly regarded as symbols of wisdom.
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