A new proposal suggests better ways to choose state birds -- beyond the usual cardinals and meadowlarks

Northern Cardinal is the state bird for seven states from Illinois to North
Carolina. (Photo by Brian Stahls, Macaulay Library via Cornell Lab)

U.S. abounds with birds -- cranes, cardinals, chickadees, wrens, woodpeckers, eagles,  hummingbirds. There are so many native birds species (more than 700) one wonders if Mother Nature didn't know when to stop. And yet, with all that variety, many states have chosen the same birds to represent their regions. "We love cardinals, mockingbirds, and meadowlarks, too — but do these three species have to represent 18 separate states? Matt Smith and Marc Devokaitis ask in their "Modest Proposal" for Cornell Lab. "We turned to eBird to find alternative state birds with data to back them up.

Every single scrub-jay in the world lives in Florida.
(Photo by Tyler Ficker, Macaulay Library via Cornell Lab)

"As it happens, the eBird Status and Trends project provides a great, scientifically grounded basis for finding unique connections between states and the birds that live there," Smith and Devokaitis write. "This data can help pinpoint a well-suited bird for each state or province by showing which regions host globally significant populations of certain species. The best candidates for these new, scientifically informed suggestions are species with rock-solid claims. For example, Florida hosts 100% of the global population of the endemic Florida scrub jay—isn't that a good reason to nominate it as the state bird?"

Red knots visit Delaware in the spring. (Joe Austin
Photos, Alamy, via The New York Times)

The analysis also considered breeding season statistics "such as the proportion of a bird’s global population that’s found in a state or its population density," Smith and Devokaitis add. "In cases where no species had an especially strong claim during the breeding season, migratory and overwintering populations were considered. Delaware, with its famous springtime concentrations of Red Knots, is an excellent example.

The Black Rosy-Finch might be a better fit for Wyoming.
(Photo by Christopher Gilbert, Macaulay Library via Cornell Lab)

The Western Meadowlark is a colorful member of the blackbird family living across western and central North America. "Its cheerful song rings out across its territory," Smith and Devokaitis write. "Six states share the Western Meadowlark as their state bird, but eBird suggests these other species are also worth a moment of consideration: Lesser Prairie-Chicken for Kansas; the tiny, thick-billed Longspur for Montana (60% of the global population breeds there); Greater Prairie-Chicken for Nebraska; Marsh Wren for North Dakota; Hermit Warbler for Oregon; the delicately pink-tinged Black Rosy-Finch is an incredibly hardy, high-elevation species. It’s a great candidate to represent Wyoming, where 63% of the global population breeds."

Are you curious to see which bird could be better suited for your state? Click here to see all the picks and consider a few of your favorites.