![]() ![]() Although its appearance is less than spectacular, the Mockingbird is one of the only birds that can bless our ears with up to 200 different songs and continues to be a joy in many people’s lives. The admiration of the Mockingbird among state legislatures has left many wondering why the modest-looking bird is so popular. Since then, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas have followed in Texas’s lead and have also adopted “the mocker” as their official state bird. On January 31, 1927, Governor Dan Moody approved the measure and Texas became the very first state to choose a state bird. This nomination was extremely popular and the Texas State legislature noted that the mockingbird was “the most appropriate species for the state bird of Texas, as it is found in all parts of the state, in winter and in summer, in the city and in the country, on the prairie and in the woods and hills, and is a singer of a distinctive type, a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense, like any true Texan.” The Texas Federation of Women’s Club quickly caught on and nominated the Mockingbird to represent Texas. The Mockingbird’s origin story starts in 1920 when the General Federation of Women’s Clubs hatched the idea for each state to have a bird mascot. Unfortunately, the nine-banded armadillo has become infamous in Texas for jumping in front of a car’s headlights so remember to keep a lookout while driving at night! Texas State Bird: Northern Mockingbird The unique female armadillo only gives birth to quadruplets that have developed from the same egg, and therefore all of her four offspring are always of the same sex. The mammal is cat-sized, armored, and a major digger known for creating burrows in a variety of places including brush, woods, scrubs, and grasslands. The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species native to North America and it is found as far north and east as Oklahoma and Mississippi. The nine-banded armadillo was selected as the small state mammal as an animal that “ possesses many remarkable and unique traits, some of which parallel the attributes that distinguish a true Texan, such as a deep respect and need for the land, the ability to change and adapt, and a fierce undying love for freedom.” Nine-Banded Armadillo, Photo by Max Letek
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