Soar losers: Legislature clips wings on bills to make flamingo, scrub-jay Florida’s state birds

In this Friday, July 15, 2016, file photo, two American flamingos tussle in their exhibit space at Zoo Miami, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Miami. Image via AP.

Once again, legislation to swap Florida’s unremarkable state bird for a markedly more distinctive and flamboyant pair failed to take full flight in 2025.

Twin bills (SB 880, HB 81) by Miami Sen. Ileana Garcia, Lighthouse Point Rep. Chip LaMarca and Islamorada Rep. Jim Mooney — all Republicans ­— aimed to boot Florida’s state bird, the common mockingbird, from its longstanding perch.

In its place, the measures proposed two replacements: the American flamingo, which would have become Florida’s official state bird; and the blue-and-gray Florida scrub-jay, the only species of bird found only in the Sunshine State, as the state songbird.

SB 880 and HB 81 were the latest in a yearslong effort to replace the mockingbird — the state bird of four other states — as Florida’s state bird. And like those past attempts, lawmakers ultimately kept this one caged.

Garcia’s bill cleared two of three committee stops with unanimous support from the dais. In its second stop on April 11, Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez explained the reason policymakers keep trying to make the switch.

“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?” she said.

“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.”

Mooney told Florida Politics in January his bill was among his priority proposals this Session. He said the change would reflect Florida’s Everglades restoration efforts while calling attention to ongoing environmental challenges, including commercial development that has encroached on the habitats of myriad state fauna.

“The flamingos are staying around because the environmental work in the Everglades has finally started to turn a corner and allow fresh water to flow south into the Florida Bay. The scrub-jay, it’s under assault from development,” he said. “But it’s bigger than just the birds. It’s about continuing to preserve our green space and wetlands, which are massive ecosystems.”

HB 81 never got a hearing. Its first stop was to be the House Natural Resources and Disasters Subcommittee, but its Chair, Bonita Springs Republican Rep. Adam Botana, didn’t add the bill to any of the panel’s eight meeting agendas.

SB 880, meanwhile, stalled out in the Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Naples Republican Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, who served as Senate President during the 2022-24 term.

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 lobbyist 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.”