List of U.S. State Birds

This is a list of U.S. state birds as designated by each state's legislature. The selection of state birds began in 1927, when the legislatures for Alabama, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming selected their state birds. The last state to choose its bird was Arizona in 1973, although the Eastern Bluebird had beaten the American Robin in a statewide survey 42 years previously. It can be noted that California, South Dakota and Pennsylvania are the only states that hunt their state birds, the California Quail in California, Common Pheasant in North Dakota and the Ruffed Grouse in Pennsylvania. Notably, several states have state dinosaurs in addition to state birds, similarly to states with both a state insect and butterfly, or state mammal and horse. The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of the most states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

State State bird Binomial
nomenclature		 Image Year
Alabama Northern Flicker
(state bird)		 Colaptes auratus 1927
Wild Turkey
(state game bird)		 Meleagris gallopavo 1980
Alaska Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus 1955
Arizona Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus		 1973
Arkansas Mockingbird
aka Northern Mockingbird		 Mimus polyglottos 1929
California California Quail Callipepla californica 1931
Colorado Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys 1931
Connecticut American Robin Turdus migratorius 1943
Delaware Blue Hen Chicken Gallus gallus 1939
District of Columbia Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina 1938
Florida Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos 1927
Georgia Brown Thrasher (state bird) Toxostoma rufum 1928
Bobwhite Quail (state game bird) Colinus virginianus 1970
Hawaii Nēnē
or Hawaiian Goose		 Branta sandvicensis 1957
Idaho Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides 1931
Illinois Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1928
Indiana Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1933
Iowa Eastern Goldfinch
aka American Goldfinch		 Carduelis tristis 1933
Kansas Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1933
Kentucky Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1942
Louisiana Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis 1966
Maine Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapilla 1927
Maryland Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula 1947
Massachusetts Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapilla 1941
Wild Turkey
(state game bird)		 Meleagris gallopavo 1991
Michigan American Robin Turdus migratorius 1931
Minnesota Common Loon Gavia immer 1961
Mississippi Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos 1944
Wood duck
(state waterfowl)		 Aix sponsa 1974
Missouri Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis 1927
Montana Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1941
Nebraska Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1929
Nevada Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides 1967
New Hampshire Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus 1957
New Jersey Eastern Goldfinch Carduelis tristis 1935
New Mexico Roadrunner
aka Greater Roadrunner		 Geococcyx californianus 1949
New York Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis 1970
North Carolina Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1943
North Dakota Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1970
Ohio Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1933
Oklahoma Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus 1951
Oregon Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1927
Pennsylvania Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus 1931
Rhode Island Rhode Island Red Chicken Gallus gallus 1954
South Carolina Northern Mockingbird
(former state bird)		 Mimus polyglottos 1939 -
1948
Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus 1948
Wild Turkey
(state wild game bird)		 Meleagris gallopavo 1976
South Dakota Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 1943
Tennessee Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos 1933
Bobwhite Quail
(state wild game bird)		 Colinus virginianus 1987
Texas Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos 1927
Utah California Gull Larus californicus 1955
Vermont Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus 1941
Virginia Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1950
Washington Willow Goldfinch
aka American Goldfinch		 Carduelis tristis 1951
West Virginia Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1949
Wisconsin American Robin Turdus migratorius 1949
Wyoming Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 1927
Guam Guam Rail Gallirallus owstoni ?
Northern Mariana Islands Mariana Fruit-dove Ptilinopus roseicapilla ?
Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Spindalis Spindalis portoricensis ?
U.S. Virgin Islands Bananaquit Coereba flaveola 1970

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    —Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930)

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    —Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)