List of U.S. state birds facts for kids

A state bird is a special bird chosen by each state, district, or territory in the United States. It's like an official symbol, just like a state flag or flower!

The idea of having state birds started in 1926 when Kentucky picked the northern cardinal. After that, a group called the General Federation of Women's Clubs encouraged other states to choose their own birds. Many states followed, and the last state to choose its bird was Arizona in 1973.

The northern cardinal is a very popular choice, being the state bird for seven different states. The western meadowlark is also popular, representing six states.

Some states, like Pennsylvania, didn't choose an official state bird but picked a "state game bird" instead. A few states, such as Alaska, California, and South Dakota, even allow hunting of their state birds.

The District of Columbia chose its district bird in 1938. Among the five U.S. territories where people live, only American Samoa and Puerto Rico don't have official territorial birds.

Meet the State Birds!

Here's a list of the official birds for each U.S. state, district, and territory. You can see their common name, their scientific name (which is like their unique "science name"), a picture, and the year they were chosen!

State, District, or Territory	Bird Name	Scientific Name	Picture	Year Chosen
Alabama	Yellowhammer (northern flicker)	Colaptes auratus		1927
Alaska	Willow ptarmigan	Lagopus lagopus		1955
American Samoa	None, but the bald eagle is on their flag.	—	—	—
Arizona	Cactus wren	Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus		1931
Arkansas	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	Toxostoma rufum		1928
Guam	Guam rail (ko'ko')	Gallirallus owstoni		2000
Hawaii	Nene (Hawaiian goose)	Branta sandvicensis		1957
Idaho	Mountain bluebird	Sialia currucoides		1931
Illinois	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1929
Indiana	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1933
Iowa	Eastern goldfinch (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis tristis		1933
Kansas	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1933
Kentucky	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1926
Louisiana	Eastern brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis		1966
Maine	Chickadee	Poecile, species not specified (de facto Poecile atricapillus)		1927
Maryland	Baltimore oriole	Icterus galbula		1947
Massachusetts	Black-capped chickadee	Poecile atricapilla		1941
Michigan	American robin	Turdus migratorius		1931
Minnesota	Common loon	Gavia immer		1961
Mississippi	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1944
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 (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis tristis		1935
New Mexico	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
Northern Mariana Islands	Mariana fruit-dove	Ptilinopus roseicapilla		?
Ohio	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1933
Oklahoma	Scissor-tailed flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus		1951
Oregon	Western meadowlark (state songbird) and osprey (state raptor)	Sturnella neglecta		1927 2017
Pennsylvania	Ruffed grouse (state game bird)	Bonasa umbellus		1931
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rican spindalis (de facto)	Spindalis portoricensis		—
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Red	Gallus gallus		1954
South Carolina	Carolina wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus		1948
South Dakota	Ring-necked pheasant	Phasianus colchicus		1943
Tennessee	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1933
Texas	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1927
Utah	California gull	Larus californicus		1955
Vermont	Hermit thrush	Catharus guttata		1941
Virgin Islands	Bananaquit	Coereba flaveola		1970
Virginia	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1950
Washington	Willow goldfinch (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis salicamans		1951
West Virginia	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1949
Wisconsin	American robin	Turdus migratorius		1949
Wyoming	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1927

Other Special State Birds

Besides the main state bird, some states have chosen other special birds. These can be "state game birds" (birds that can be hunted), "state waterfowl" (water birds like ducks), "state raptors" (birds of prey like falcons), or even a "state symbol of peace."

State	Special Bird	Scientific Name	Picture	Year Chosen
Alabama	Wild turkey (state game bird)	Meleagris gallopavo		1980
Georgia	Bobwhite quail (state game bird)	Colinus virginianus		1970
Idaho	Peregrine falcon (state raptor)	Falco peregrinus		2004
Massachusetts	Wild turkey (state game bird)	Meleagris gallopavo		1991
Mississippi	Wood duck (state waterfowl)	Aix sponsa		1974
Missouri	Bobwhite quail (state game bird)	Colinus virginianus		2007
New Hampshire	Red-tailed hawk (state raptor)	Buteo jamaicensis		2019
Oklahoma	Wild turkey (state game bird)	Meleagris gallopavo		1990
Oregon	Osprey (state raptor)	Pandion haliaetus		2017
Pennsylvania	Ruffed grouse (state game bird)	Bonasa umbellus		1931
South Carolina	Northern mockingbird (former state bird)	Mimus polyglottos		1939 – 1948
	Wild turkey (state wild game bird)	Meleagris gallopavo		1976
	Wood duck (state duck)	Aix sponsa		2009
Tennessee	Bobwhite quail (state wild game bird)	Colinus virginianus		1987
Wisconsin	Eastern mourning dove (state symbol of peace)	Zenaida macroura carolinensis		1971

Birds Chosen by Many States

Did you know that some birds are so popular that many states chose them as their official bird? Out of the 50 states, 32 of them share their state bird with at least one other state.

      Northern cardinal
      Western meadowlark
      Northern mockingbird
      American robin
      American goldfinch
      Chickadee
      Chicken
      Eastern bluebird
      Mountain bluebird
      Unique state bird

This table shows which birds are shared and how many states picked them:

See Also

• List of U.S. state dinosaurs