State-ly Birds of the USA Trivia Quiz

Answer: black-capped chickadee

The black-capped chickadee is related to other chickadees; most have black caps. The bird can lower its body temperature when very cold weather sets in. They are easily attracted to bird feeders in the winter and are a fun bird to watch. Massachusetts, knowing a good thing, named it as their state bird, also.

Answer: ruffed grouse

Commonly, and incorrectly, called a partridge, this grouse is so named because of the ruff on the neck of both males and females. They acquired the nickname thunder chicken because of the drumming noise the male makes with its wings during mating season.

Answer: loon

Known as the common loon in North America and great northern loon or great northern diver elsewhere, it is the oldest surviving waterfowl. Even after all that time, however, loons still don't have the landing-thing figured out; they crash head over teakettle every time. They became Minnesota's official state bird in 1961.

Answer: mountain bluebird

The mountain bluebird is related to other bluebirds in the United States. Though a smaller bird (8 in. / 18 cm), once eggs are laid, both genders will defend their nest. The approach of humans doesn't scare them. It is also the state bird of Idaho.

Answer: hermit thrush

The hermit thrush is a mid-sized thrush, more closely related to the Mexican russet nightingale-thrush than other North American thrushes. It seems to have gotten the hermit moniker honestly; I lived in Vermont for over forty years and never saw one.

Answer: mockingbird

It was the difference in mockingbirds seen from island to island in the Galapagos that got Charles Darwin thinking of the transmutation of species and evolution. Sometime over the millennia, some species of mockingbirds learned to be imitators. One university professor catalogued the sounds a mockingbird in his neighborhood made: among them was the sound of a rusty gate hinge. Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Texas also named it their state bird.

Answer: scissor-tailed flycatcher

The scissor-tailed flycatcher got its name from the insects it feeds on. The long tail helps in its aerobatics to catch flies, dragonflies and the occasional grasshopper. They are found throughout the south-central U.S. An aggressive nest-defender, they will chase away crows or hawks if need be.

Answer: western meadowlark

The western meadowlark has a flute-like song; that is mostly what differentiates it from the eastern meadowlark. It grows to about 8.5 in (22 cm) and prefers to make its nest on the ground. It is also the state bird of Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming. Wow!

As for playing basketball, Meadow Lemon, Jr, known as "Meadowlark", played basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters for 22 years.

Answer: American robin

The American robin is named after the European robin because of its red breast but the two are not closely related; the American robin is about twice the size of its namesake. It is a migratory bird and people in the northern United States and Canada have long looked for its yearly return as a harbinger of spring. Connecticut and Wisconsin liked it enough to name it their state bird, too.

Answer: ring-necked pheasant

Sounding like a rooster, the ring-necked pheasant likes open fields and weedy roadsides. Not native, they were introduced to the U.S. from Asia in the 1850s as an upland game bird. As with most birds, the male is brightly colored while the subdued tan of the female lets it blend in with their field habitat. It became South Dakota's state bird in 1943.