Is the Crow a State Bird? Which States List Crows

No U.S. state currently has a "crow" as its official state bird. As of May 2026, every official state bird designation in all 50 states has been confirmed through state statutes, and none of them name a crow species. The closest corvid connections come from ravens, not crows, and even those are proposed or secondary designations rather than primary official symbols.

The direct answer: crows and state birds

The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is not the official state bird of any U.S. state. If you've seen a list somewhere suggesting otherwise, it's worth checking whether that list was a birding species checklist (which just records birds found in a state) rather than a list of official state symbols. Those are two very different things, and they get mixed up more than you'd think. The Delaware Ornithological Society, for example, maintains a "State Bird List" that includes the American Crow as a species recorded in state, but that has nothing to do with Delaware's official state bird, which is the Blue Hen Chicken.

The closest a state has come to a crow-adjacent official bird is through raven designations, and even those are either proposed or secondary. Alaska's legislature considered SB 28, a bill that would rename the state bird to the Common Raven (Corvus corax principalis), but Alaska's current statutory state bird, written into Title 44 Section 44.09.060, is still the Alaska Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus alascensis Swarth). Maryland's SB 860 proposed designating the raven as a second state bird alongside the Baltimore Oriole, but ravens are not crows, and proposals are not law until enacted.

What counts as a "crow" when looking up state birds

This matters more than it sounds. "Crow" in everyday conversation can refer to several species, and birding databases often list crows, ravens, jays, and magpies all under the family Corvidae. When people search for whether a crow is a state bird, they're usually asking about one of these:

• American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos): the all-black bird most people picture when they say "crow." Widespread across the continental U.S.
• Common Raven (Corvus corax): larger than the American Crow, with a wedge-shaped tail and a deeper, throatier call. Ravens are not crows, despite being in the same genus.
• Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus): a smaller crow found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, often confused with the American Crow.
• Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus): historically treated as a separate species in the Pacific Northwest, now often lumped with the American Crow by taxonomists.
• Blue Jay, Steller's Jay, Black-billed Magpie: all corvids, but visually distinct enough that most people don't call them "crows."

For state-bird purposes, official designations use specific species names written into law. If a state's statute says "Common Raven," that's a raven, not a crow, even though both are corvids. The species-level wording in the legislation is what matters, and no state's legislation currently uses the word "crow" in its official state bird designation.

Where ravens and corvids do show up in state-bird conversations

Alaska is the main place where a corvid keeps coming up in state-bird discussions. The Common Raven is deeply embedded in Alaska's Indigenous cultures and is one of the most visible, intelligent birds in the state. It's a year-round resident, nests widely across the state, and has a cultural presence that goes far beyond most other birds. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game even features the Common Raven (Corvus corax) as one of Alaska's iconic birds. It's easy to see why people assume it must be the official state bird, but the statute says otherwise: the Willow Ptarmigan holds that spot. The raven's profile has generated public petitions and legislative proposals over the years, including the SB 28 reclassification attempt, but none have changed the law as of this writing.

Maryland's raven connection comes from a different angle. SB 860 proposed making the raven a second official state bird, alongside the Baltimore Oriole. The raven nod there is partly a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, who lived and died in Baltimore and wrote "The Raven" in 1845. It's a cultural and literary connection, not an ecological one. Whether that proposal becomes law is worth checking against Maryland's current official state symbols page.

Crow vs. raven: the mix-up that causes most of the confusion

Crows and ravens are genuinely hard to tell apart if you're not used to watching them. Both are large, all-black birds in the genus Corvus. In the field, the main differences are size (ravens are noticeably larger, about the size of a Red-tailed Hawk), tail shape (ravens have a wedge or diamond tail, crows have a fan-shaped tail), and voice (ravens produce a deep, resonant "kronk" while crows give the familiar caw). Ravens also tend to soar more, while crows flap steadily.

In state-bird research, the confusion plays out differently. People search for "crow state bird" because they've seen or heard about a dark, corvid-looking bird being associated with a state, and they default to the word "crow." The bird they're actually thinking of is usually a raven. This is exactly the kind of search that leads to frustration: no state has a crow, so nothing shows up, when what the person really wanted to know is whether any state has a raven (which gets them to Alaska's ongoing conversation and Maryland's proposal).

Why a state might choose a crow or raven (if one ever did)

States pick their official birds for a mix of practical and symbolic reasons. The most common criteria include ecological relevance (the bird is native and abundant in the state), cultural or historical significance, and recognizability by the public. Crows actually check a lot of those boxes: the American Crow is found in every U.S. state, it's one of the most recognizable birds in North America, and it's associated with intelligence and adaptability. Ravens add a layer of cultural depth, especially in states with strong Indigenous traditions where corvids hold spiritual significance.

The reason neither crows nor ravens have been designated is likely a combination of factors. Crows carry an unfortunate cultural association with death and bad omens in Western tradition, which makes them a harder sell politically. Ravens share some of that baggage, though they also have a more majestic reputation that works in their favor. Most states that selected their official birds did so between the 1920s and 1950s, when state legislatures tended to favor cheerful, well-liked songbirds. The robin, for instance, became the state bird of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Connecticut partly because of its popularity with the public. And that same kind of popularity-driven reasoning is why the American robin is the state bird of Connecticut. The Wisconsin state bird is the robin, and its popularity with residents helped it earn the official designation. If you are trying to figure out why the American robin became Michigan’s state bird, it helps to look at the state’s choice-making criteria and the bird’s popularity at the time. So if you are wondering what state bird is the robin, it is worth checking the specific states where the robin was officially adopted. If you're looking for the answer for Connecticut specifically, the official state bird is the American Robin, not a crow or a raven Connecticut partly. A crow would have been an unusual choice in that era.

The robin's story is a useful comparison here: it's a bird that multiple states share, chosen for clear cultural reasons tied to public affection and seasonal symbolism. Crows and ravens haven't had that same grassroots appeal in state legislatures, even if birders love them.

How to confirm your state's actual official bird

If you want to be certain about any state's official bird, here's the most reliable approach:

1. Go directly to the state's official legislature website and search for the state symbols statute. For example, Alaska's state bird is codified in Alaska Statutes Title 44, Section 44.09.060. Most states have a similar Title or Chapter dedicated to official state symbols.
2. Look for the exact species name in the statute, including the scientific name if listed. Official designations use formal species names, not common nicknames.
3. Cross-reference with the state's official government website, which usually has a "State Symbols" page listing all officially designated symbols.
4. Be cautious with third-party compiled lists, including those on general reference sites. These are sometimes outdated or conflate species checklists with official designations.
5. If a legislative proposal (like Alaska's SB 28 or Maryland's SB 860) has been in the news, check whether it actually passed and was signed into law before treating it as official.

The distinction between a proposed designation and an enacted one trips up a lot of people. A bill introduced in a legislature is not a law. Until it passes both chambers and is signed, the existing statute stands. Alaska's Willow Ptarmigan is still the official state bird regardless of how many people think the raven deserves the title.

Other misunderstandings worth knowing about

Sports team names are not state birds

The Baltimore Ravens are a football team, not Maryland's official state bird. Sports teams named after birds create persistent confusion because people associate a team with a state and then assume the bird must be significant in an official way. It can be, but it's not always. The team name reflects regional identity and Edgar Allan Poe's legacy, not a government designation.

Species checklists vs. official state symbols

Ornithological societies and birding organizations publish lists of bird species recorded within each state. These are often labeled "state bird list" or "birds of [state]," which sounds like it could mean official state birds. It doesn't. A "state bird list" in a birding context is just a tally of species observed in that state. The American Crow appears on virtually every state's species checklist, but that has no connection to official state bird status.

Popular association vs. official designation

Sometimes a bird becomes so strongly associated with a state in the public imagination that people assume it must be the state bird, even when it isn't. Alaska's raven is a perfect example. The NPS, state tourism materials, and cultural references all highlight the raven, while the actual state bird, the Willow Ptarmigan, stays relatively quiet. If you're looking up state birds for research, school projects, or trivia, always go back to the statute. Public perception and official designation don't always match.