While the Rio Grande Wild Turkey would certainly be emblematic, I’m not sure many would consent to giving it up as a game bird. It does make for excellent hunting.
How about the Attwater Prairie Chicken? Like us Texans it’s very adept at puffing out its chest and making unusual noises.
His uppance will come.
Very cute, but in a cock-fight, the MN loon would eat that little birdy for lunch.
Laughing maniacally the entire time…
I’m very fond of mockingbirds, but why isn’t the Florida Scrub Jay our state bird? It’s unique to Florida!
They don’t call 'em Turdus migratorius for nothing.
I’ve seen California quail on the beaches in the North Bay. But I agree that the condor would be a better state bird. Which is on the CA state quarter? The condor. Because California condors are awesome.
I have no opinion on the Michigan or Illinois (depending on who you ask, I am a resident of either or both of these states) state bird. I saw a cardinal recently, here in Michigan, though. They’re really beautiful birds.
New Mexico?
It sure seems to be the most important question in the states and gets asked at every meal.
I like how Utah’s state bird is the California gull.
Six states have multiple state birds. Despite that, there are only 31 unique species between the 50 states. Methinks someone could have put a little more thought into the selection process for some of these…
Never actually seen one, but how can you not love the very name, “ruffed grouse”?
I am thrilled that New York State has the bluebird as its bird. Yes, even though I’m way old and have lived here forever and I have NEVER SEEN EVEN ONE EVER. (Beginning to think it’s some kind of hoax, like hummingbirds at one time. Till I actually put out a hummingbird feeder and they actually showed up, woo-hoo!)
If you are looking for your cardinals, we have 'em all here in the pine trees.
I don’t know any songbirds who don’t adore black oil sunflower seeds, if you put some out, you will be amazed at what shows up at the feeder. Except those elusive bluebirds…
Makes good sense, when you remember that the California Gull saved the early settler’s butts by eating up the swarming locusts whom were destroying the crops they so desperately needed, this is nothing more than proper gratitude.
Perhaps they did…? I don’t see how uniqueness is a crucial qualification for state bird. Perhaps some birds are sufficiently kick-ass to own several states? OTOH, maybe some states are sufficiently kick-ass to have multiple birds…
We’ve got the Lark Bunting here in Colorado. All in all a rather mediocre choice. The males can be reasonably attractive and they have a decent song… but they barely produce a meh from me. And they aren’t even full time resident of the state. I say toss the bums out.
I would like to see us move to the Gunnison Grouse. It is a year round resident, almost only found in Colorado and a pretty cool bird in general. Add in the need for some conservation attention before they are wiped out, and I think they deserve the nod.
Cardinals are beautiful birds, and usually very skittish.
One young cardinal nestling had fallen out of the nest and was hopping around in my yard. I never saw it until Papa Cardinal (his excellency?) dive bombed my head and took a few strands of hair out of my head.
I find it interesting that “doves” are not a state bird in any state. There are lots of them around where I live.
Yes, that is probably the Gamble quail. Fun to hunt, I usually go around Globe every year.
I like the roadrunner, but I also like the Pyroloxia.
And New Mexico also has a state insect, the Tarantula Wasp.
Red or Green? Yes.
I feel the same way about the Ruddy Duck. It’s kind of like ‘beagle’, words that are just fun to say.
Ruddy Duck, Ruddy Duck, Ruddy Duck!
Huh. Nope. I’ve always been told that’s a quail, and I see the little guys everywhere, but after searching around for some sounds, it’s definitely a white-winged dove. I should’ve known that from growing up on '80s music.
Yep. There’s a number of different mockingbird species in the Americas, a number of which live & breed in the tropics.
Are you sure? I know both of those birds well, and the ‘HOOoohHOO, HOOoohHOO’ is definitely the quail.
Unless I’ve somehow mis-translated your ‘HOOoohHOO, HOOoohHOO’.
Did you listen to the sound at the link I posted?
Can you find a recording of the quail saying Hoo-ooh-HOO?
Québec’s official provincial bird is the Snowy Owl, which is a pretty damn cool bird, though I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen one outside of captivity.
Most provinces have chosen cool birds;
Alberta - Great Horned Owl
Manitoba - Great Grey Owl
Nova Scotia - Osprey
Yukon Territory - Common Raven (I love that choice!)
I think the loser is New Brunswick, with the Black-capped Chickadee, but that’s just my opinion!
