If passed this session, it would mean finally knocking out the mockingbird, first named state bird in 1927.
Roseate spoonbills, egrets and flamingos, meet some of Southwest Florida’s wading birds
Meet some of the wading birds you can see in Southwest Florida, they include roseate spoonbills, egrets and flamingos
Despite seven attempts by various lawmakers to dethrone it over a 25-year span, the northern mockingbird still reigns as the official bird of Florida.
State Rep. Jim Mooney, an Islamorada Republican, hopes the eighth time’s the charm.
Mooney on Friday filed legislation (HB 81) for the 2025 legislative session to make the American flamingo the official state bird and the Florida scrub-jay the official state songbird. Mooney filed a similar bill last year.
If passed this session, it would mean finally knocking out the mockingbird, first named state bird in 1927.
According to previous reporting, the mockingbird’s critics complain Florida should not have to share a feathered icon with other states. Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas also claim the mockingbird as state bird.
In fact, the anti-mockingbirders point out, both the scrub jay and flamingo are native Floridians.
Flamingo supporters also argue their bird is widely associated with Florida, having been long featured, for instance, on merchandise promoting the state, including the state lottery.
Scrub jay supporters note their candidate is uniquely Floridian, and unlike the flamingo or mockingbird, it never leaves the state. Flamingos got some exposure when Hurricane Idalia in 2023 flung several of them off course, leading to sightings around the nation.
A few years ago, when another proposal was filed to strip the mockingbird of its designation, critics said the bird has an annoying habit of singing all night long under a full moon.
Then again, the Florida Department of State defends the mockingbird as a year-round resident with a talent for music. “The mockingbird is helpful to humans because it usually feeds on insects and weed seeds,” its website adds.
Attempts to remove the mockingbird’s official title were long thwarted by the now-retired National Rifle Association’s Florida lobbyist, Marion Hammer. In 2021, she told the USA TODAY Network – Florida, “The mockingbird has been our state bird for over 90 years … It ain’t broke, so it doesn’t need fixing.”
Mooney’s bill has yet to gain a companion in the Florida Senate. The Florida Legislature’s next regular session kicks off March 4.
Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com. Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL.