Rhode Island’s State Bird

The smallest state may have the biggest state bird story. Take a deep breath!

Rhode Island’s state bird campaign was launched in 1931, by Mrs. J. Howard Pember, chairman of the State Federation division of conservation and natural resources. The State Federation of Women’s Clubs sponsored the event, which was supported by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. The voters included schools, federated clubs, parent teacher associations, granges, Troops and Camp Fire Girls, and individuals.

Bobwhite versus Osprey

The public was asked to favor birds that were native, beneficial, of fairly general distribution, and fairly common. The six candidates were the bobwhite, flicker, tree swallow, song sparrow, catbird, and osprey.

The bobwhite won, with the osprey in second place. One bobwhite fan wrote, “The bob-white was by far the most representative of the State as a whole. This is natural, since it is generally distributed, a permanent resident, a species that is widely known by reason of its call and familiar habits, as well as being the game bird most available.”

But the osprey had some devoted supporters. At least as far back as 1723, ospreys were encouraged to nest on farms because they had a reputation for keeping other hawks away. More than two centuries later, farmers and other country residents continued to put up cart wheels on tall poles to encourage ospreys to nest.

Some osprey fans complained that the vote was’t really fair. It was also claimed that the bobwhite isn’t native to Rhode Island. One observer wrote, “It would appear . . . that the fish-hawk decidedly has the edge insofar as courage, character and conformity to Rhode Island ideas of independence and maritime tradition are concerned.”

Two state bird bills were submitted to the legislature, one naming the bobwhite, the other the osprey. Neither was adopted.

The bobwhite represented Rhode Island in Life magazine’s state bird tribute in 1940. But the bobwhite itself was in trouble.

Rhode Island is near the northern limit of the bobwhite’s extensive range. Things got really bad when bobwhites began losing habitat. “Clean farming” did away with the brush and weed patches bobwhites favored as cover. Suburbs replaced farmland and woodland.

A New Election

In 1954, a new state bird election was sponsored by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, and the Providence Journal Company. This time around there were five candidates. The bobwhite and osprey were back. But the flicker, tree swallow, song sparrow, and catbird were replaced by the towhee, ruby-throated hummingbird, and a chicken breed known as the Rhode Island Red. (The robin and chickadee were considered, then rejected because they already represented other states.)

The Rhode Island Red had time, history, and the State Department of Agriculture and Conservation on its side. The breed had originated in the town of Little Compton, Rhode Island, in 1854. Rhode Island Reds were first advertised in poultry journals in 1896, and the breed became very famous. A monument to the Rhode Island Red was erected in the village of Adamsville, Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island Red Centennial Committee celebrated the breed’s 100^th anniversary in 1954. The climax was a day-long festival at Little Compton on August 21, 1954.

The candidates were described in newspapers. The osprey colonies in Narragansett Bay were noted as among the best on the Atlantic coast.

The ruby-throated hummingbird, New England’s only native hummingbird, was suggested not only as the “smallest bird for the smallest state,” but because it is a fairly common summer visitor and “carries a lot of personality appeal.”

A Winning Chicken

Everyone was eligible to vote, and each candidate had fans. The Rhode Island Red beat out its closest competitors, the osprey and ruby-throated hummingbird.

A bill to adopt the Rhode Island Red was introduced in the House, backed by farmers’ groups and the American Legion. The Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs submitted a bill to name the hummingbird the state bird.

The Rhode Island Red Hen became Rhode Island’s official state bird at noon on May 3, 1954, when Governor Roberts put his signature on the bill. Thus, Rhode Island had a state bird even before its state flower and tree were officially adopted!

A portrait of the Rhode Island Red was presented to the Governor. It had been painted by Arthur O. Schilling, the United States’ leading poultry artist.

“The Rhode Island Red,” Governor Roberts said, “has become a symbol of Rhode Islanders all over the world. That symbol was made famous especially by men of the armed forces.”

Red Symbols

Like Rhode Island’s state tree, the red maple, the Rhode Island Red recalls the origin of the name Rhode Island, from the Dutch Roodt Eylandt, meaning “red island.” (It was named for its red clay shores, not chickens.)

Incidentally, the bobwhite was also kicked out of office in Oklahoma. But it was later adopted as the official game bird of Georgia and Tennessee. The osprey is now the official bird of Nova Scotia.

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