So we’ve established that it’s a cool bird, but how does it fit our state bird criteria? As far as I can judge it’s pretty characteristic of Oklahoma, which I imagine is a bit like Central Florida (that is with a lot of farm and pasture land), but with a lower water table. It certainly fulfills the uniqueness criteria, as there are only three states that could possibly claim the scissor-tail, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska, as their state bird. As a flycatcher, mostly of open country, it has the visibility thing covered as well. And according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the decision to make it the state bird was a result of a groundswell of public support, rather than some bureaucratic decision process, so it has some folkloric cred to.

So that’s it. The Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher is hereby affirmed as the state bird of Oklahoma.

I’ve seen a few Orioles in Maryland, and there’s no doubt that it’s found in habitats throughout the state, but my first criteria is that it be characteristic of the state, and the Oriole falls short there. There’s one defining geological and ecological fact of Maryland, and that is the fact of the Chesapeake Bay. I can’t possibly justify choosing a bird like the Oriole, which, while not excluded from the area around the bay, is not at all characteristic of it.

My first idea for a bird that IS characteristic of the Bay was the Osprey. The Osprey is a great symbol of the Bay for conservationists, representing a spectacular recovery from the depths of the DDT contamination that devastated the populations of so many fish-eating birds. Nowadays, it’s hand to find a large inlet or tributary for the Bay that doesn’t have a nesting platform, and I always look forward to seeing one or more when I take the Yellow Line over the Potomac. Most impressive is the latest statistic that the Chesapeake has the highest breeding population anywhere, which is even more impressive considering that the Osprey is found on six continents.

My biggest problem with the Osprey as the state bird of Maryland is that it is just our fair-weather friend. On a cold winter morning at Sandy Point State Park, only the hardiest of the Bay’s summer residents remain, but I can always count on surprising at least one Great Blue Heron. Any finger of the Bay, no matter how tiny it may be, will likely have a stately heron keeping watch, and unless the waters freeze, they’re always there. Even away from the water you can count on a flyover as the sun comes up or goes down. Perhaps the strongest recommendation of the GBH (as we birders call it) is that it already seems to have entered into the Marylander’s consciousness as a symbol of the state. On license plates throughout the state, it’s not the oriole but the heron that you see. The Minor League baseball team in Salisbury has a logo that looks suspiciously like a Great Blue (though they call it a shorebird). Most importantly, a friend of mine from Easton once offered me her opinion, unsolicited, that the state bird should be changed to the Great Blue Heron, providing the first seedlings that led to this project.

So there you have it: The Great Blue Heron is my choice for State Bird of Maryland.

Characteristic: First and foremost I think that all state birds should try to represent the ecological and geographical character of the states they symbolize. So if your state is all about mountains, don’t chose some lame bird from the lowlands that you can find in any plains state.

Unique: Few state bird choices bother me as much as Florida’s. Why choose the mockingbird when you have one of the most diverse catalogs of birds in the whole country to choose from? I’ve birded a lot in Florida, and there are so many birds I’ve seen there that I could never hope to see elsewhere in the United States. So why not flaunt it, amiright?

Visibility: This seems to be the main factor states used in determining their state birds, and while I disagree with what choices they reached, I don’t think it should be disregarded either. Visibility is the reason seven states chose the cardinal, and five chose the mockingbird, and there is a benefit to having a bird that is familiar. Birders may associate Arizona with rarities like the elf owl and various Mexican obscurities, but birders are hardly the reason a bird becomes a state symbol. I also feel that some of our most familiar birds, such as jays and woodpeckers (with the exception of the flicker) are not represented but should be. If the first two criteria I listed fail to bring forth an obvious candidate, why not choose the western scrub-jay or red-bellied woodpecker, some of the most well known of North American avifauna?

Folklore: This one is placed low on the totem pole mainly because I frankly have not idea what birds have a local mythology and which don’t. What myths do exist are likely so local it would be hard to justify a state bird based on them. Nonetheless, I’ll keep an open mind to whatever I come across or already know.

Geographic Names: And last we have the criteria that has led to some of my least favorite choices. I’ll go into detail later, but know now that I will not be naming the Tennessee Warbler the state bird of Tennessee, the Philadelphia Vireo the state bird of Pennsylvania, the Virginia Rail the state bird of Virginia, or any other bird whose name has only the weakest of associations with its actual geographic range. That being said, if a bird has other qualifications, an appropriate name will definitely be considered a plus.

I think that covers it, although I reserve the right to change my mind later. Stay tuned for my next post, where I will give judgment on my first state bird, that of the state of Maryland!

Now I’m no expert on birds nationally, but I have a general degree of knowledge from some years as a birder, and a large library on North American birds to reference. I welcome whatever input you might have, and maybe we can get some momentum going for change.