Amazing Facts About How State Birds Were Selected - Part 2

...Continued from Part 1.

The Yellowhammer, or Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus, was adopted by Alabama in 1927. When I first learned about Northern Flickers as a college student, I was taught that there were yellow-shafted and red-shafted varieties. In Alabama, only the yellow-shafted variety is seen. As a variety of woodpecker, they were named Yellowhammers due to the bright lemon yellow seen from below as the birds take flight and the sound that every woodpecker makes. During the Civil War, soldiers from Huntsville, Alabama had uniforms trimmed with bright yellow and these soldiers were nicknamed yellowhammers due to the similarity of the uniform detail to the coloring of the local Northern Flickers. By the end of the war, all soldiers from Alabama were called yellowhammers and Alabama became known as the Yellowhammer State. It is only fitting, therefore, that this bird became Alabama's official state bird. It is the only woodpecker that is a state bird.

In 1951, Oklahoma adopted the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, Tyrannus forficatus. In 1932, the Bob-White Quail won a popular vote. The legislators of Oklahoma wanted a distinctive bird that had a range centered in Oklahoma, one that was not already claimed by another state, and one that could not be confused with other species, so they paused consideration until such a bird could be agreed upon. The same law in which the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher was adopted also designated May 1 as Bird Day. In 2008, the bird gained national attention when it was placed on the Oklahoma Quarter.

The American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis, is the state bird for three states--Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington. The vivid yellow of the American Goldfinch makes it a striking choice.

The American Goldfinch was adopted by Iowa in 1933. They selected a bird common to the Iowa fields, roadside scrub, and open areas of their state. This made the American Goldfinch a bird that the residents could both easily identify and readily observe during their daily lives.

In 1935, New Jersey adopted the Eastern Goldfinch as their bird. The bird is now known as the American Goldfinch. The Garden Club of New Jersey was instrumental in getting the goldfinch adopted. They chose a bird associated with cultivated gardens such as you would expect in 'The Garden State,' making the American Goldfinch the perfect bird for their state.

Washington adopted the Willow Goldfinch in 1951. This bird is now known as the American Goldfinch. In 1928, schoolchildren chose the Western Meadowlark as the state bird. Oregon had just adopted the Western Meadowlark and lawmakers did not want a bird that was shared with so many other states. In 1931, the Washington Federation of Women's Clubs sponsored a second vote and the goldfinch won. Washington held another vote among schoolchildren and the Willow Goldfinch became the official bird twenty years later, preserving the regional name for this bird and making it sound like a unique choice for the state.

In 1931, Pennsylvania adopted the Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus, as their state game bird. The lawmakers wanted a bird that represented the state's woodland areas as well as the sporting culture that had been firmly established. The Ruffed Grouse is one of the few state birds that are of ecological importance, indicating the health of the young forests in which the Ruffed Grouse thrive. Today, literature refers to the Ruffed Grouse as the state bird.

Utah became the only state to select a gull for their state bird when they adopted the Sea Gull commonly thought to be the California Gull, Larus californicus, in 1955. In 1848, a cricket plague struck. The Mormon settlers tried everything to destroy the crickets--beating them with clubs, drowning them with water, and even burning them with fire. Nothing worked. Then, in answer to their prayers, thousands of gulls swept in to destroy the crickets and save enough of the crop to prevent starvation. This event is known as the 'Miracle of the Gulls.' In 1913, a monument was erected in Salt Lake City to recognize the gulls. Although 1959 research shows that nineteen species of birds contributed to devouring the insects, the California Gulls were seen as the heroes and were considered the unofficial state bird for over a century.

The Common Loon, Gavia immer, was chosen by Minnesota in 1961. The statute naming the Common Loon as the state bird also requires that a photograph be preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State. In 2024, Minnesota adopted a new state seal using the Common Loon at the center. This makes the Common Loon not just the state bird, but a living symbol of the state. Minnesota is the only state with a loon for a logo.

The Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, is the state bird for six states--Wyoming, Oregon, Nebraska, Montana, Kansas, and North Dakota.

Wyoming was the first state to adopt the Meadowlark in 1927. The state law specifies Meadowlark, genus Sturnella, rather than the specific Western Meadowlark title. The bird was first considered as a result of an essay by a schoolgirl. One of the best-known public figures from the University of Wisconsin, Grace Hebard, championed the bird and establishing it as the type of bird that the prairielands of the west would adopt going forward.

In 1927, Oregon adopted the Western Meadowlark. The bird was elected via a popular vote among schoolchildren and proclaimed the official bird by the governor of the state. The Western Meadowlark was a bird with which the children were familiar, especially in the farming regions of the state. In 2017, lawmakers considered replacing it with the Osprey since they considered it more distinctive and familiar to the residents of the state. In the end, they reached a compromise, naming the Western Meadowlark as the state songbird and the Osprey as the state raptor.

Nebraska selected the Western Meadowlark as their state bird in 1929. There was a lengthy campaign in which the people wanted a bird that is both typical of prairies and abundant throughout the state. The Nebraska Federation of Women's Clubs pushed for such a bird, the local schoolchildren voted on the state bird from the finalists, and then the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union backed the winner--the Western Meadowlark.

In 1931, Montana adopted the Western Meadowlark. Although the Eastern Meadowlark is also observed in Montana as accidental, the citizens selected the Western Meadowlark, a native and regularly occurring bird, rather than just Meadowlark. In doing so, they also were referring to their own identity as a Western state. There was a vote of schoolchildren that preceded the statute making the Western Meadowlark the official state bird, demonstrating the popularity of this bird among all, even the youth.

In 1937, Kansas chose the Western Meadowlark as their state bird. The wording in their law reads, 'as preferred by a vote of Kansas school children.' For the citizens of Kansas, whose voice is evident by the wording of this law, the Western Meadowlark's song is a sound associated with open country and unbroken distance.

North Dakota adopted the Western Meadowlark in 1947. In 1843, John James Audubon visited the area that is now North Dakota and made the distinction between the Eastern and Western Meadowlarks after listing to the song of the Western Meadowlark. In addition to representing North Dakota's identity as a prairie grassland, this bird has become the ambassador for the Meadowlark Initiative, a statewide movement to conserve grasslands.

Read more in Part 3.