Why is the state bird of V.A.the Cardinal?
Adopted on January 25, 1950, the General Assembly chose the northern cardinal as the state bird because of its bright plumage and cheerful song. In eighteenth-century England, the cardinal was called “the Virginia nightingale.” The cardinal is part of the finch family. The northern cardinal is also the state bird for six other states. These are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.
