Inside the Fight to Make the Flamingo Florida’s State Bird

Ask any Floridian to name the state bird, and they might (incorrectly) say exactly what Islamorada-based Representative Jim Mooney is lobbying for: the flamingo. For the past century, Florida’s avian ambassador has been the ubiquitous and assertive mockingbird, but Mooney is campaigning to swap the common songbird for something a bit more flamboyant.

“The flamingo is iconic to Florida,” Mooney says. “It’s always been associated with the state of Florida. And I think it’s just time that we make that come to fruition.”

Mooney’s House Bill 11 proposes designating the native flamingo as the official state bird and the scrub-jay, Florida’s only endemic bird species, as the official state songbird. If it passes and Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it, the change would go into effect in July, he says.

The mockingbird is not unique to Florida, as it also serves as the state bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee. It’s a good symbol, Mooney jokes, “if you like being dive bombed by their nest … But nothing personal against that poor little mockingbird.”

Instead, he argues the flamingo makes a better choice because it’s already embraced as an unofficial symbol of the state—including for the Florida Lottery logo. But to him, the bird represents a conservation ethic core to the Sunshine State.

Starting in the late 1800s, the pink-plumed birds were hunted to regional extinction in Florida. “Wading birds in general, and flamingos in particular, were sought after for both food and feathers,” says Julie Wraithmell, director of Audubon Florida. “Functionally, we shot them out. There was a time when feathers were worth more than their weight in gold, and that was a huge difference for folks trying to claw out a living in the hardscrabble world of South Florida.”

The flamingo is iconic to Florida. It’s always been associated with the state of Florida. And I think it’s just time that we make that come to fruition.
—Jim Mooney

But over the past quarter of a century, the Everglades—once home to flamboyances of flamingos—has benefitted from the most comprehensive ecosystem restoration in the world. Flamingo fans, including Mooney, are hopeful that restoring the balance of water in the Everglades will make visiting flamingos—often swept in from hurricanes—want to stay in the Sunshine State permanently.

It’s the third year Mooney has brought the bird forward—although other representatives have tried before—and the second time it has been joined by the scrub-jay on his bill.

The idea of replacing the state bird failed in years past, due in large part to opposition by Marion Hammer, a former NRA lobbyist known for designing Florida’s Stand Your Ground law whose passions extend  beyond the Second Amendment. For decades, Hammer fought against bills that advocated for the scrub-jay to be recognized as the state symbol. In 1999 she argued to a House committee: “Some folks say we should change because scrub-jays are sweet and will eat peanuts out of your hand. Begging for food isn’t sweet—it’s lazy and adds a welfare mentality to their criminal conduct.”

But Hammer appears to be softening her stance on the scrub-jay, leaving room for the bird, and its flamingo running mate, to have a real shot at the crown. Mooney is optimistic: “It’s pretty hard to vote against me. I run good bills,” he says.

It’s serendipitous timing for the bill. In 2023, Hurricane Idalia blew more than 100 flamingos to Florida’s waters. Two years later, around 125 of the birds were spotted wading in Florida Bay, the body of water between the state’s mainland and the keys.

“The fact that some were remaining in Florida through the breeding season absolutely gives us hope that there is the potential for the greatest comeback story in Florida birds we’ve ever seen,” Wraithmell says. “The fact that you could more easily find a plastic lawn flamingo than a real one was always kind of like, ‘man, we really messed that up.’ And so, there’s a bit of redemption in it too. We get a second chance, so let’s not mess it up,” she adds.

The state bird designation wouldn’t offer any official protection for flamingos or for scrub-jays, a bird Mooney characterizes as a “poor little bird being bulldozed to extinction.” But the symbolism matters. And proponents of the bill, including Mooney, hope that the status would increase awareness of the native species and lead to wider protections of native wildlife down the road.

“It’s a tragic story, and it’s time to bring that full circle back and say, ‘No, that’s never going to happen again, and we’re going to protect these birds,’ and by protecting the flamingo and making it a state bird and the scrub-jay, the songbird, it’s bigger than them as well,” Mooney says. “This truly is about how the state of Florida (is) going to move forward and preserve lands, not just for flamingos and scrub-jays, but for gopher tortoises, the indigo snake—the list is endless.”

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