National Park ServiceVirginia was the last of seven states to adopt the cardinal, nicknamed the “Virginia nightingale,” as state bird. School children chose the robin as their favorite bird, and it was adopted by the state legislature in 1912. But it apparently was’t made official.
Many years later, the Federated Garden Clubs of Virginia campaigned for the cardinal. It was officially adopted on January 25, 1950.
An article in Virginia Wildlife reported:
“None more suitable could have been selected, for no other bird is a more integral part of Virginia’s living landscape. In city gardens or country thickets, in mixed woodlands or along our many swampy streams, the bright flash of the redbird’s wings and his sweet song are familiar beauties.”
The cardinal serves as the emblem of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ nongame program.
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