A Double-Duty State Bird

Our next state bird deserves extra credit! Within the thirteen original colonies, the cardinal is the state bird of both Virginia and North Carolina. In fact, this popular bird is the state bird of five other states, too - Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The North Carolina State Assembly established the Northern Cardinal as its state bird in 1943, and seven years later, Virginia did the same on January 25, 1950.

Even though the cardinal is not our state bird, you can still spot them around Massachusetts. They are year-round residents, found from Cape Cod to Western Mass.

In this print, Audubon depicted the Cardinal Grosbeak (plate 159), with the vibrant male shown above and the more subdued female below. Both are shown in the branches of the wild almond tree. The cardinal was previously on display in January 2025, so after it is displayed for just three weeks this month, it will return to storage for the foreseeable future. Visit us from June 9 through June 30 for your chance to see it now.

We are also excited to share that as a special treat, the Bird of Washington will be on limited display from June 30 through July 14, in celebration of the country's 250th birthday!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian