What do Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia all have in common?
If you guessed their state bird, you’re right! These states have the Northern Cardinal as their state bird, but what is a state bird? A state bird is a bird that is chosen to represent a particular state within the United States of America as a symbol. All 50 states have a state bird, with the last one being chosen by Arizona in 1973.
Here are a few other states and their birds:
Illinois (hey, that’s us!)
The Northern Cardinal
Illinois is known as the prairie state and is also called the Land of Lincoln because Abraham Lincoln grew up here before becoming the 16th president.
Delaware
The Blue Hen Chicken
Delaware is the first state! The blue hen chicken became a symbol for the Revolutionary War soldiers from Delaware, who took roosters along with them when they went to war.
Hawaii
The Nene
Hawaii is the Aloha state and is made up of eight islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The nene bird is the rarest state bird, and almost went extinct in the 1950’s!
New York
The Eastern Bluebird
New York, the Empire state, is known as a center of art, music, and theater. The Eastern bluebird fits right in, because they represent happiness.
Alaska
The Willow Ptarmigan
Alaska is known as the land of the midnight sun because for some time during summer, the sun does not set. The Willow Ptarmigan changes color each season, white in the winter and brown in the summer! This helps him blend into his environment!
State birds are just one of the many symbols that are related to America, some states have state flowers too! Some symbols are in plain sight, did you know that there are symbols on the American flag too? Do you want to learn more about the different American symbols? Check out some of these books:
- ABC USA by Martin Jarrie
- Flowers (U.S. Sites and symbols) by Leia Tait
- United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott
- How to Draw Illinois’ sights and symbols by Jenny Deinard
- The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars by Susan Goldman
Call 815-756-9568 ext.3350 if you’d like to place a hold (or you can place the hold online!)