State Bird: A Nation Elects Its Feathered Representatives

From a beloved best-selling author, a surprising tale of avian elections, state rivalries, and the birds who definitely did not ask for this.

What were we thinking, a century ago, when we elected the cardinal or the mockingbird as our state’s official bird? Amy Stewart went looking for answers and found early conservationists imploring the public to admire birds, rather than shoot them; schoolchildren on their first trip to the ballot box; and exasperated women’s clubs urging lawmakers to na...