State birds
What is the Nebraska state bird?
The Nebraska state bird is the Western Meadowlark. A 1929 law, now Nebraska Revised Statute 90-107, says: “The western meadowlark is hereby declared the state bird of Nebraska.” Since 2022 the state has had a second official bird as well, the Sandhill Crane, as its state migratory bird.
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What does Nebraska's state bird law say?
One sentence, quoted above, in Nebraska Revised Statute 90-107. Its history line traces it to the 1929 session laws, chapter 139. The Nebraska Secretary of State says the meadowlark was “designated the state bird by legislative action in 1929,” and the Nebraska Blue Book adds that it “is noted for its joyous song.”
The official record stops there. Nebraska's own sources don't say who proposed the bird or why it won.
Is the Sandhill Crane a Nebraska state bird too?
It is the state migratory bird. On March 16, 2022, Gov. Pete Ricketts declared the Sandhill Crane Nebraska's official state migratory bird, the Blue Book records; the meadowlark remains the state bird. The Blue Book says up to 1 million Sandhill Cranes pass through the Platte River Valley each spring. Audubon painted the crane as well: see our Sandhill Crane painting page.
Where and when can you see a meadowlark in Nebraska?
In grassy fields and meadows all over the state. The Blue Book calls it “abundant throughout the state,” nesting “on the ground in grassy fields or meadows.” Birds of Nebraska Online, hosted by Nebraska Game and Parks, rates it an abundant breeder in the west, center and northeast, and common in the southeast.
Some stay for the winter: it is a fairly common winter visitor in the south and east and uncommon elsewhere. The returning birds come early, in small singing flocks, sometimes as early as late January.
Western or Eastern Meadowlark?
Nebraska has both. The Eastern Meadowlark also nests in the far southeast, where the Western keeps to drier ground than its cousin (Birds of Nebraska Online). The two look much alike; the National Audubon Society's guide says the Western is “recognized by its very different song and call notes.”
One Nebraska meadowlark went a long way. A bird banded in Lincoln County on January 21, 1940, was recovered in Arkansas on November 30 that year, about 500 miles away (Birds of Nebraska Online).
Which other states share Nebraska's state bird?
Five others: Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming. Going by each state's own source, Wyoming adopted it first, on February 5, 1927, and Oregon's schoolchildren voted for it later that year. Nebraska followed in 1929, then Montana in 1931, Kansas in 1937 and North Dakota in 1947.
Questions about the Nebraska state bird
When did the Western Meadowlark become Nebraska's state bird?
In 1929, by an act of the Legislature now found in Nebraska Revised Statute 90-107.
Is the Sandhill Crane Nebraska's state bird?
No. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird. The Sandhill Crane has been Nebraska's official state migratory bird since March 16, 2022.
Do meadowlarks stay in Nebraska in winter?
Some do. Birds of Nebraska Online calls the Western Meadowlark a fairly common winter visitor in the south and east of the state and uncommon elsewhere.
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