State Bird: A Nation Elects Its Feathered Representatives

"Brimming with quirky characters, quixotic campaigns, and contested elections, State Bird explores the surprisingly contentious process of choosing (and keeping) an avian representative. Amy Stewart is the perfect guide, unspooling every story with humor, heart, and pitch-perfect prose. Her lovely and lively paintings of the birds are an unexpected bonus. Highly recommended!" -- Thor Hanson, author of Feathers, Buzz, and Close to Home "State Bird is an absolute gem. As Amy Stewart so amusingly reveals, the process of selecting a state bird is a fascinating—and at times absurd—microcosm of the American experiment, complete with legislative gamesmanship, overturned votes, and meddling by outside interest groups. But it is also a timely reminder of the ways in which birds bring us together and shape our shared heritage. Rigorously researched, exquisitely illustrated, and hilariously told, State Bird showcases Stewart at the height of her considerable talents." -- Chris Sweeney, author of The Feather Detective "This delightful book explores historical political intrigues in an improbable place: selection of state birds. Women’s clubs and school children voice opinions but ultimately state legislators have to be coaxed away from choosing fried chicken or lame ducks. The imperfections of the process have resulted in an eastern phalanx of Northern Cardinals, a western one of Western Meadowlarks and a smaller southern one of Northern Mockingbirds. Maybe someday states will reconsider their birds as Stewart mischievously suggests and give Florida flamingos, or Michigan the Kirtland’s Warbler, for example. Anyone interested in birds or in how politics works at its most fundamental will love this book." -- Joan E. Strassmann, author of Slow Birding "Amy Stewart gives us a wonderful and rarely-told history of America through its state birds—the popular, the beloved, even the made-up. It’s surprising, funny, and informative. For all the cardinals, mockingbirds, robins, and meadowlarks, her stories of the people who cared enough about common or uncommon birds to campaign for their recognition or to protect them stayed with me the most. Passionate, dogged, and, yes, eccentric Americans who believed in taking a vote, even when it was messy or possibly rigged. 'This whole state bird thing,' Stewart’s told, 'is like democracy in miniature.'" -- Ryan Goldberg, author of Bird City