- In 1929, the Michigan Audubon Society conducted a statewide poll to determine Michigan's state bird.
- The Robin came out on top, but Black-capped Chickadee led the race until mid-April.
- Honoring the results of the election, the Michigan Legislature passed a resolution recognizing Robin as the state bird in 1931.
- Over the years, legislative proposals have been introduced to change the state bird to the Kirtland’s Warbler, a formerly endangered species, and the Black-capped Chickadee.
Should the American Robin be Michigan’s state bird?
It’s a fairly simple fellow, and you can find them all over the place. Whether you’re in the country or the suburbs, the Upper Peninsula or the Lower Peninsula, during the winter or the summer, you have a decent chance of spotting a Robin.
The problem, some say, is that the Robin is too ubiquitous. In fact, Wisconsin and Connecticut have also chosen the Robin as their state bird. Since Michigan’s legislature first designated the Robin our state bird in 1931, various advocates have proposed alternatives.
How did the Robin become our state bird?
In 1929, the Michigan Audubon Society conducted a statewide poll to find the bird that “gives the greatest joy to the majority of Michiganders.” The Society nominated 21 bird candidates, and allowed Michiganders of all ages to submit their votes throughout the entire month of April.
“It turned out to be a bigger deal than I think the society expected,” said Frances Heldt, an archivist for the Archives of Michigan.
Some churches, organizations, and clubs polled their members and mailed in their votes en masse. Even then-governor Fred Green reportedly submitted a vote for the Ruffed Grouse. Henry Ford voted for the Song Sparrow.
“Newspapers loved this election, and they covered it incessantly throughout the state,” Heldt said. “They actually had reporters asking the Audubon Society for the latest election returns and the poll numbers. And they ran exposés on different birds, and they asked experts to weigh in on what bird they would choose and why.”
About 200,000 Michiganders submitted their votes. The Black-capped Chickadee led the polls until about mid-April, but the Robin came out on top. Michigan Audubon Society President Edith Munger wasn’t satisfied with the result, Heldt said.
“At first, she wanted to redo the election because she thought if people had a second chance, maybe they would do more like proper bird research,” she said.
In the end, the poll wasn’t re-issued. Munger presented the people’s selection to the legislature, who then passed a resolution recognizing the Robin as Michigan’s state bird in 1931.
What alternative birds have been proposed?
The Kirtland’s warbler
Unlike the Robin, the Kirtland’s Warbler is unique to Michigan. About 98% of the Kirtland’s Warbler population can be found in our state. They generally nest among young jack pine trees that grow in certain select areas of Northern Michigan. For the winter, they fly south to the Bahamas, but then return here.
"It's a special bird. People come to Michigan to see Kirtland's Warbler,” said Jen Owen, former director for the Michigan State Bird Observatory, and the center coordinator for Corey Marsh Ecological Center.
The Kirtland’s Warbler was added to the Endangered Species Act list in 1973, but removed from the list in 2019.
“The [Kirtland’s Warbler] ]is seeing some decline more recently…” Owen said. “And so there's active management to try to recover those or manage those pines so that we can increase population.”
The Black-capped Chickadee
The Black-capped Chickadee came in second place in the original 1929 statewide poll, almost 10,000 votes behind the Robin. Another ubiquitous bird, many Michiganders can spot a Chickadee in their own backyards. Plus, it doesn’t fly south for the winter.
“It stays the course in Michigan all year round,” Heldt said, “And that makes it… a symbol of Michigan grit and perseverance, making it through the winter, even though it's such a cute, tiny little bird.”
What would happen if we conducted a new poll?
You tell us! Vote for your state bird below, and we’ll share the results on next week’s episode of On Hand.
The original 1929 poll defined the state bird as the bird that “gives the greatest joy to the majority of Michiganders.” We leave your reasoning for selecting a state bird up to you.
EPISODE GUESTS:
- April Campbell, retired M.D. and bird enthusiast based in Ann Arbor
- Jen Owen, former director for the Michigan State Bird Observatory and center coordinator for Corey Marsh Ecological Center.
- Frances Heldt, archivist for the Archives of Michigan
Want to submit a question to On Hand or a story about Michigan's history with black squirrels? Do it here:
- Online Submission Form
- Call us: 734-764-7840
- Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org
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