Jesse Scheckner
Legislation to swap Florida’s unremarkable state bird for a pair of markedly more flamboyant and unique avians zipped through its second Senate stop this week with airy praise.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government voted unanimously for SB 880, which would jettison the state’s long-standing bird of note, the common mockingbird, and replace it twofold.
The bill would designate the American flamingo as Florida’s official state bird. And as the Sunshine State’s official songbird, the blue-and-gray Florida scrub-jay — the only species of bird endemic to Florida — would get the nod.
“Florida is a land of color, contrast and coastline, of diverse wildlife, unique ecosystems and unmatched spirit. Let me ask you, when the world thinks of Florida, do they think of a gray mockingbird or do they see a bold, bright flamingo standing tall in the sun?” said Ana Maria Rodriguez, who presented the bill Thursday on behalf of sponsor Ileana Garcia, a fellow Republican Senator from Miami-Dade County.
“We often say Florida is unlike anywhere else. Let’s prove it. The flamingo is not just an icon; it reminds us that Florida is bold, brilliant and unafraid to stand tall. The scrub-jay is not just a songbird; it is a call to protect what is rare and precious. And this bill is not just about birds; it is about identity, conservation and culture. Florida deserves to be represented by what is ours and only ours.”
SB 880 and its identical House analog (HB 81) represent the latest in a yearslong effort to replace the mockingbird, which is the state bird of four other states, as Florida’s state bird.
Before Garcia and Republican Reps. Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point and Jim Mooney of Islamorada took up the cause, Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky led the charge in several Sessions.
Jackson Oberlink, the Legislative Director of Florida for All and a self-professed “bird nerd,” said the effort is more than symbolic.
“It’s about correcting a long-standing mistake,” he said.
Students pushed to replace the mockingbird with the scrub-jay in the 1990s but encountered a disproportionately powerful foe: then-National Rifle Association Marion Hammer, who in one Palm Beach Post op-ed at the time described scrub-jays as “evil little birds that rob the nests of other birds and eat their eggs and kill their babies.”
In the same column, Hammer said that scrub-jays had a “welfare mentality” because they were known to eat food from people’s hands.
Oberlink derided Hammer’s “bizarre crusade” against the bird, whose return from the brink of extinction reflects Florida’s resilience and shows that “even in devastation, there is still hope.”
“This fight over the state bird is part of a larger pattern (of) special interests blocking progress, whether it’s gun reform, environmental protections or even something as simple as recognizing Florida’s own wildlife,” he said.
“This bill won’t stop the climate crisis or stop corporate polluters from driving it, but it does send a message: recognizing the flamingo and the Florida scrub-jay affirms our commitment to preserving what makes Florida special.”
Florida State University sophomore Olyvia Collins, a member of the student “Scrub Club” group that in 2022 convinced Seminole Commissioners to make the scrub-jay the county’s official bird, highlighted the Flamingo’s iconographic link with Florida and the scrub-jay’s natural proclivities.
“The scrub-jay represents the values of Florida — strong family bonds, cooperation, resilience. These birds live in tight-knit family groups where older siblings help raise the young and protect the nest,” she said. “Their teamwork and loyalty truly mirror the spirit of Florida, (and) recognizing both birds allows us to celebrate Florida’s diverse wildlife while honoring different aspects of its identity.”
During Thursday’s committee meeting, Winter Haven Republican Sen. Colleen Burton floated having the flamingo serve as both the state bird and songbird. Oberlink said that wasn’t a good idea, since the flamingo has “more of a goose-like honk” than a song.
12 comments
PeterH
April 11, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Good grief!
Noelle Olsen
April 11, 2025 at 2:22 pm
, I couldn’t believe that someone could earn such a substantial Aht amount from their PC in their free time. My friend’s brother has been doing just that. His success story completely changed my perspective on how much potential exists online…
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Michael K
April 11, 2025 at 12:55 pm
Y’all are having too much fun with these headlines and witty writing. We need more smiles in crazy times. Thank you.
tom palmer
April 11, 2025 at 3:15 pm
Hammer’s beef is with Audubon over some long-ago disagreement on a piece of legislation and this has been her way to get back at the conservation community. Let’s move forward with more signature state birds.
Paul Passarelli
April 11, 2025 at 3:48 pm
Mockingbird as recorded by Carly Simon & James Taylor
Mock (yeah)
Ing (yeah)
Bird (yeah)
Yeah (yeah)
Mockin’bird, now
Everybody have you heard
He’s gonna buy me a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won’t sing
He’s gonna buy me a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring won’t shine
He’s gonna surely break this heart of mine
And that’s why I keep on tellin’ everybody
Say yeah, yeah whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, uh, oh
Hear me now and understand
He’s gonna find me some peace of mind
And if that piece of mind won’t stay
I’m gonna find myself a better way
And if that better way ain’t so
I’ll ride with the tide and go with the flow
And that’s why I keep on shoutin’ in your ear
Say yeah, yeah whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, uh, oh
{Bridge}
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Mockingbird
Eminem
SKINNY
Billie Eilish
The Alchemy
Taylor Swift
Now, everybody have you heard
She’s gonna buy me a mockingbird
Yeah if that mockingbird don’t sing
She’s gonna buy me a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring won’t shine
Yes, it’ll surely break this heart of mine
And there’s a reason why I keep on tellin’ everybody
Say yeah, yeah no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Listen now and understand
She’s gonna find me some peace of mind
Yeah if that piece of mind won’t stay
I’m gonna get myself a better way
I might rise above, I might go below
Ride with the tide and go with the flow
And that’s the reason why I keep on shoutin’ in your ear
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, now, now. baby
{Outro}
Whereas “Flamingo” by Herb Alpert & the TJ Brass band is instrumental and reminds me of a mix of late 1960s Christmas & Elevator music suitable for TV Game shows.
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
April 11, 2025 at 8:54 pm
*IT’s NOT “NEWS” Until Earl Weighs In”, Florida.
EARL WEIGHS IN:
Florida, I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, am suggesting that “AMERICA’s Govorner” along with The Beautiful Casey Desantis, VETO this “Bird Bill” as pay-back for how rude the Florida House & Senate were to both Ron & Casey during this entire Legislative Session.
REPLACE THE STATLEY AND SAGE FLORIDA MOCKINGBIRD With These Two “GAY-BIRDS” ….. HEll To The No!
Y’all should have been more respectfull to Ron & Casey ya know.
But No …… Y’all were @$$Wholes to Ron & Casey from the start of the Special Session.
Pay-Backs are gonna be HEII boys …. NO to replacing our MockingBird with your 2 [TWO] GAY BIRDS.
I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, have spoken,
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
Larry "Bud" Melman
April 11, 2025 at 9:20 pm
Thank you Earl for ending this Legislative Session on a note of common-sense wisdom and push back to the exessively rude House and Senate.
Larry
George
April 11, 2025 at 10:02 pm
The Governor and his wife deserve whatever shit the State Legislature throws at them. The way he treats his own party…? Reagan would be ashamed.
Earl Pitts "VETO CZAR" American
April 13, 2025 at 5:24 am
Thanks, George, for “WEIGHING IN” on behalf all the “Dook 4 Brains Leftys” in The Great FREE State if FLORIDA.
George, and all of the other “Dook 4 Brains Leftys”, I, Earl Pitts American, got just one word for you Dook-A-Crats if Florida’s Desantis Hateing Legislature passes this Travisity Of A Piece Of Crap Legislation.
ONE WORD:
VETO
VETO
VETO
Thank you, George, along with all of Florida’s other Dook-A-Crats, you may all now begin admitting your defeat by simultainasly “Relaxing Your Sphincters”,
Earl Pitts “VETO CZAR” American
Kris C
April 12, 2025 at 1:28 pm
It’s a great compromise. Two native birds to represent Florida. There is a financial incentive as well. Birders spend over $70 billion dollars per year to visit places and add birds to their “life list”. And Florida is the only state with the Florida Scrub-jay. So, why not bring attention to the Florida Scrub-jay & flamingo to get more birders to visit Florida and contribute to our economy. To put Houston perspective oranges are only a 5 – 10 billion dollar industry.
Earl Pitts "VETO CZAR" American
April 13, 2025 at 5:28 am
Thank you Kris,
Please reference my, Earl Pitts “VETO CZAR” American’s, Sage words of Wisdom, in my above “Knowledge Drop”,
Thanks, Kris,
Earl Pitts “VETO CZAR” American
Jill Moran
April 15, 2025 at 7:58 am
I’m sorry but I love to sit outside in the early morning, having my coffee and listening to all the Mockingbirds sing. It’s a beautiful sound and, like Florida, it’s free. I would choose the Mockingbird every time. See them all the time but have never seen a Flamingo ever.