Subject: State Birds
Date: May 5 13:16:06 2000
From: ragweed at igc.org - ragweed at igc.org


This whole thread sent me looking at the list of State Birds again
(didn't Lydia bring this up a year or two ago?). It's interesting
to note which birds are State Birds and which ones aren't.

Like, despite the fact that the Bald Eagle is the national bird,
there is not a single raptor that is a state bird.

The majority of State Birds are song-birds, with certain species
vastly over-represented, such as

Northern Cardinal - 7 states
Western Medowlark - 6 states
Northern Mockingbird - 5 states
American Robin - 3 states
American Goldfinch - 3 states

4 states have bluebirds, 2 each Eastern and Mountain.

Only Four states have game birds, and one of those is the
Ring-Necked Pheasant, a non-native (happy Kelly?)

Two states have different types of domestic chickens (my
first nominations for states to change their bird, though
as Kelly pointed out that is in many ways appropriate)

No woodpeckers, except for Alabama with the "Yellowhammer"
(ie. Yellow-Shafted Flicker)

Only one Goose (Hawaii with the Nene - which is appropriately
enough endangered like most of Hawaii's indigenous birds)

One loon (Minnesota with the Common Loon) and one sea-bird
(Louisiana with the Brown Pellican).

No Turns (though the aforementioned Larid)
No Alcids
No Ducks (though the one goose)
No Swallows (which is a good reason to go with the Violet-Green)
No Grebes
No Herons, Storks or Spoonbills
No Rails or Cranes
No Shorebirds
No Doves
No Owls
No Hummingbirds
No Kingfishers
No Corvids
No Warblers (though Cardinal is in the Emberizid family)

Special Awards for uniqueness go to

Oklahoma - Scissor-tail Flycatcher
New Mexico - Road Runner
Colorado - Lark Bunting
Utah - California Gull
Arizona - Cactus Wren

Personally I am dispointed that no state chose the American
Kestral or Osprey as a state bird. While they aren't strictly
Washington or Western birds, I think they would be fine candidates.

Other possible candidates : Pine Siskin (close to the Goldfinch)
Black Tern, Killdeer, Great-Blue Heron

However, I will also put in a word for the Willow Goldfinch
(as opposed to the American Goldfinch). When it was created,
the Willow Goldfinch was a unique choice of a Western bird,
using the local name. Subsequently, we now know of it as one
species with all the Eastern Goldfinches, but we can still keep
the local and historical name for our state bird.

As for other changes:

Maine should switch from the Black-Capped Chickadee to the
Atlantic Puffin (leaving Massachusetts with the Chickadee).

Texas can trade it's Mockingbird for a Sandhill Crane.

Anyway, my ramblings for this lunch break.


John Chapman
Seattle, WA
Ragweed at igc.org