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State birds: the official bird of every US state

Every US state has a designated state bird. The northern cardinal is the most common, chosen by 7 states, followed by the western meadowlark (6) and the northern mockingbird (5). Pick a state to see its bird, whether it visits backyard feeders, and what to feed it.

By BirdingPath Editorial · Last checked October 26, 2026

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Often visits feeders
Sometimes, with the right food
Rarely or never at feeders
A chicken breed, not a wild bird

Kentucky state bird

Northern cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis · adopted 1926

The earliest designation in this list.

Visits backyard feeders?: Often visits feeders; Cornell says nearly any feeder should attract cardinals within their range, and they particularly use sunflower seed.
What it eats: Mainly seeds and fruit, plus insects; nestlings are fed mostly insects. Of the birdseeds, Cornell singles out black-oil sunflower.
How to attract it: Offer black-oil sunflower in a feeder with room to perch, and leave some undergrowth around the yard's edges, where cardinals may nest.
Also the state bird of: Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia

Seed selector: match seed to the birds you want →How to attract cardinals →

Designation: State Symbols USA · Bird facts: Cornell Lab, All About Birds

What a cardinal setup looks like

Sunflower seed and a feeder with a perch a heavy bird can stand on.

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Compare all bird seed

List of state birds: all 50 states and DC

The official designation for each state, the year it was adopted, and how often the bird uses backyard feeders. Select a column heading to sort.

Official state bird of each US state and the District of Columbia, with the year adopted and how often it visits backyard feeders. Select a column heading to sort.

Alabama	Northern flickeras “Yellowhammer”	1927	Rarely
Alaska	Willow ptarmigan	1955	Rarely
Arizona	Cactus wren	1931	Sometimes
Arkansas	Northern mockingbird	1929	Rarely
California	California quail	1931	Sometimes
Colorado	Lark bunting	1931	Rarely
Connecticut	American robin	1943	Sometimes
Delaware	Blue Hen chicken	1939	n/a (chicken)
District of Columbia	Wood thrush	1967	Rarely
Florida	Northern mockingbird	1927	Rarely
Georgia	Brown thrasher	1970	Sometimes
Hawaii	Nene (Hawaiian goose)	1957	Rarely
Idaho	Mountain bluebird	1931	Rarely
Illinois	Northern cardinal	1929	Often
Indiana	Northern cardinal	1933	Often
Iowa	American goldfinchas “Eastern goldfinch”	1933	Often
Kansas	Western meadowlark	1937	Rarely
Kentucky	Northern cardinal	1926	Often
Louisiana	Brown pelican	1966	Rarely
Maine	Black-capped chickadeeas “Chickadee”	1927	Often
Maryland	Baltimore oriole	1947	Sometimes
Massachusetts	Black-capped chickadee	1941	Often
Michigan	American robinas “Robin redbreast”	1931	Sometimes
Minnesota	Common loon	1961	Rarely
Mississippi	Northern mockingbird	1944	Rarely
Missouri	Eastern bluebird	1927	Sometimes
Montana	Western meadowlark	1931	Rarely
Nebraska	Western meadowlark	1929	Rarely
Nevada	Mountain bluebird	1967	Rarely
New Hampshire	Purple finch	1957	Often
New Jersey	American goldfinchas “Eastern goldfinch”	1935	Often
New Mexico	Greater roadrunner	1949	Rarely
New York	Eastern bluebird	1970	Sometimes
North Carolina	Northern cardinal	1943	Often
North Dakota	Western meadowlark	1947	Rarely
Ohio	Northern cardinal	1933	Often
Oklahoma	Scissor-tailed flycatcher	1951	Rarely
Oregon	Western meadowlark	1927	Rarely
Pennsylvania	Ruffed grouse	1931	Rarely
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Red	1954	n/a (chicken)
South Carolina	Carolina wren	1948	Often
South Dakota	Ring-necked pheasant	1943	Sometimes
Tennessee	Northern mockingbird	1933	Rarely
Texas	Northern mockingbird	1927	Rarely
Utah	California gull	1955	Rarely
Vermont	Hermit thrush	1941	Rarely
Virginia	Northern cardinal	1950	Often
Washington	American goldfinchas “Willow goldfinch”	1951	Often
West Virginia	Northern cardinal	1949	Often
Wisconsin	American robin	1949	Sometimes
Wyoming	Western meadowlark	1927	Rarely

“At feeders?” is our three-way reading of each species' Cornell Lab page (often, sometimes, rarely), not a count. Territories are not listed yet.

Most common state birds

8 birds are shared by more than one state (DC not counted).

Northern cardinal · 7 states
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia
Western meadowlark · 6 states
Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming
Northern mockingbird · 5 states
Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas
American goldfinch · 3 states
Iowa, New Jersey, Washington
American robin · 3 states
Connecticut, Michigan, Wisconsin
Black-capped chickadee · 2 states
Maine, Massachusetts
Eastern bluebird · 2 states
Missouri, New York
Mountain bluebird · 2 states
Idaho, Nevada

Which state birds visit feeders?

Many state birds were picked for their song or their symbolism, not because they come to a backyard. Grouped by what Cornell Lab's species pages say:

Often visits feeders: Northern cardinal (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia); American goldfinch (Iowa, New Jersey, Washington); Black-capped chickadee (Maine, Massachusetts); Purple finch (New Hampshire); Carolina wren (South Carolina)
Sometimes, with the right food: Cactus wren (Arizona); California quail (California); American robin (Connecticut, Michigan, Wisconsin); Brown thrasher (Georgia); Baltimore oriole (Maryland); Eastern bluebird (Missouri, New York); Ring-necked pheasant (South Dakota)
Rarely or never at feeders: Northern flicker (Alabama); Willow ptarmigan (Alaska); Northern mockingbird (Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas); Lark bunting (Colorado); Wood thrush (District of Columbia); Nene (Hawaiian goose) (Hawaii); Mountain bluebird (Idaho, Nevada); Western meadowlark (Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming); Brown pelican (Louisiana); Common loon (Minnesota); Greater roadrunner (New Mexico); Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Oklahoma); Ruffed grouse (Pennsylvania); California gull (Utah); Hermit thrush (Vermont)
A chicken breed, not a wild bird: Blue Hen chicken (Delaware); Rhode Island Red (Rhode Island)

If your state bird is a feeder bird, the seed selector shows the seed and feeder that brings it in, and the bird seed guide compares sunflower, nyjer and suet.

Unofficial, shared and unusual cases

Pennsylvania: the 1931 act is titled “Ruffed grouse adopted as state bird”, but some lists treat the ruffed grouse as the state game bird only.
Oregon: schoolchildren chose the western meadowlark in 1927; in 2017 the legislature made it the official state songbird, so some lists say Oregon has no official state bird.
Georgia: the brown thrasher was proclaimed by the governor in 1935 and made official by the legislature in 1970.
Maine: the statute names only “the chickadee”; the black-capped chickadee is the one usually meant.
Same bird, different name: Alabama's “yellowhammer” is the northern flicker; Iowa and New Jersey's “eastern goldfinch” and Washington's “willow goldfinch” are both American goldfinches.
Chickens: Delaware (Blue Hen) and Rhode Island (Rhode Island Red) chose domestic breeds.
Game birds and extras: several states also name a game bird, raptor or waterfowl (Alabama's wild turkey, Idaho's peregrine falcon, Mississippi's wood duck). This list shows the state bird only.

How this works

Each state's bird and adoption year come from State Symbols USA's per-state pages, and from the state's own statute or government page wherever we could open one (Kansas, Maine, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania and DC). Where sources disagree, the state's note says so rather than picking one quietly. What each bird eats and whether it visits feeders is paraphrased from that species' Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds pages. The feeder rating is our plain reading of Cornell's wording: “often” where Cornell says the bird readily or commonly uses feeders, “sometimes” where it says only with particular foods, and “rarely” where it says the bird doesn't visit feeders or doesn't mention them. The gear shown is matched to the food Cornell names, from our existing catalog. Nothing is uploaded; the map runs in your browser.

State bird FAQ

What is the most common state bird?

The northern cardinal, the official bird of 7 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia. The western meadowlark is next with 6, then the northern mockingbird with 5.

Which state was the first to choose a state bird?

Kentucky, which designated the northern cardinal in 1926, according to State Symbols USA.

Does Pennsylvania have a state bird?

Yes, with a caveat. Pennsylvania's 1931 Act 234 is titled "Ruffed grouse adopted as state bird", but some lists describe the ruffed grouse as the state game bird and say Pennsylvania has no official state bird.

Which state birds are chickens?

Two: Delaware's Blue Hen chicken (1939) and Rhode Island's Rhode Island Red (1954). Both are domestic breeds, not wild birds.

Which state birds come to backyard feeders?

Going by Cornell Lab's species pages, the state birds most likely at feeders are: Northern cardinal, American goldfinch, Black-capped chickadee, Purple finch, Carolina wren. Many others, such as the western meadowlark and northern mockingbird, rarely use them.

What is the state bird of Washington, DC?

The wood thrush. The DC Office of the Secretary says it was approved as the District's official bird on January 31, 1967.

Sources

Last checked: October 26, 2026. Each state's own source links appear under its result above.

State designations

State Symbols USA: official state birds (per-state pages for all 50 states and DC)
DC Office of the Secretary: DC Symbols (District of Columbia)
Kansas Historical Society: Kansas state symbols (Kansas)
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1 §209 (Maine)
Montana Code Annotated 1-1-504 (Montana)
Oregon Legislature: SCR 18 (2017) (Oregon)
Pennsylvania General Assembly: 1931 Act 234 (Pennsylvania)