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Some state symbols are pretty obvious. There’s California’s state animal, the grizzly bear, right on its flag. It should come as no surprise that the official domestic animal of Wisconsin, the Dairy State, is the dairy cow.
Other symbols are just very common: Seven states chose the northern cardinal, six picked the western meadowlark, and five chose the northern mockingbird as their state birds:
State Bird ... | ... of These States |
|---|---|
Northern Cardinal | Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia |
Western Meadowlark | Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming |
Northern Mockingbird | Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas |
The Origin of State Symbols
The habit of designating state symbols can be traced back to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (which also introduced Americans to the Ferris wheel, hamburgers, and zippers). The Congress-appointed Board of Lady Managers was in charge of designing and building the Women’s Hall to showcase women’s industries from across the country. Among its many duties, the board suggested that each state and territory select an official flower that could be displayed as a garland.
Women’s groups in the states made the selections, and over the next few decades, state legislatures made many of these choices official emblems. And didn’t stop with flowers. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have now designated a state bird and tree in addition to flowers; a majority has named state mammals, fish, insects, and reptiles, and many recognize their official state fossils, minerals, beverages, fruits, vegetables, songs, dances, sports, and more.
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See how familiar you are with the symbols of various U.S. states and the District of Columbia below. (Yes, we know D.C. isn’t a state, but we’ve called its symbol a “state symbol” to maintain quiz integrity.) Remember, it’s possible that a particular symbol may apply to more than one state—for example, at least 20 states have designated milk as their official drink—but in our quiz, only one of the three multiple choice answers will be correct.