The State Bird

Common throughout the Mountain State, the cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) became West Virginia’s state bird in 1949.

The male cardinal, featured in this year’s holiday greeting, is unmistakable with brilliant scarlet plumage and a black patch of feathers beneath a thick red beak.

Cardinal and chickadee calls used in the video are actual recordings of birds in the wild. Download the cardinal and chickadee calls in MP3 format.