Will the flamingo become Florida’s state bird?

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Published  January 6, 2025 1:32pm EST
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • A bill has been filed to change Florida’s state bird from the mockingbird to the flamingo and make the scrub jay the state’s official songbird.
    • A similar bill was filed last year, but did not pass.
    • If it does pass, the flamingo will become the state bird on July 1, 2025.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Move over mockingbird, a state representative wants to make the flamingo the Florida state bird.

A bill filed by Representative James Mooney would designate the flamingo as Florida’s state bird and the scrub jay as the state’s official songbird.

Last year, State Representative Linda Chaney filed a similar bill to make the flamingo the state bird, but it did not pass.

The mockingbird has been Florida’s state bird since 1927, when the state was much more agricultural and less populated on the coasts. However, it may not be quite as representative of today's bustling, modern Florida.

The bright pink American flamingo is often linked to Florida in popular culture — think state lottery ticket logos, plastic lawn ornaments or the "Miami Vice" opening credits — for decades it was considered a foreign interloper.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Florida to consider switching state bird from the mockingbird

That changed in recent years when researchers proved flamingos are native to the Sunshine State but were mercilessly hunted to near extinction in the early 20th century. They have since rebounded, bolstered by captive flocks like the one at the Hialeah horse track, but exist mainly in the Everglades, the Florida Keys and around Biscayne Bay in Miami.

The mockingbird can sing up to 200 different tunes and mimic artificial sounds like car alarms. Its Latin name translates to "many-tongued thrush." It is also the state bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

If the bill is passed, the flamingo will become the state bird on July 1, 2025.

Click here to read the bill.

The Source: This story was written with information from House Bill 81 and a previous Associated Press report.

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