State Birds Ruler

12" Wooden Ruler made in U.S.A. of American-grown basswood.

The first American state to designate a state bird was the state of Kentucky. They picked the Northern Cardinal on February 26, 1926, although they called it the Kentucky cardinal.  But that was not the first time a state had chosen an emblem. Washington chose the rhododendron as its state flower as early as 1892.

Some birds are popular with many a state. Five states, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas all claim the Northern Mockingbird as their state bird. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of six states, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.

Many birds were designated as state bird by just one state, such as the Quail in California, or the Ruffled Grouse in Pennsylvania. Some birds couldn’t possibly be picked by any other state. The Rhode Island Red wouldn’t be at home in any other state than Rhode Island, and the same goes for the Common Loon in Minnesota, the Nene in Hawaii, the Willow Ptarmigan in Alaska, and the Baltimore Oriole in Maryland.

The birds on our ruler are listed alphabetically, followed by the names of the states that have designated that feathered creature as their state bird, also alphabetically.

The “head” image is that of the most popular state bird of all. Seven states claim the Northern Cardinal as their state bird. They are Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky, the first state to do so.

If you like this ruler, you might also be interested in United States Rulers, or First Ladies Ruler.