How can I tell whether a quiz is asking for the state bird or the bird on the Idaho quarter?

It depends on what the question is asking. If it asks what bird is depicted on the Idaho quarter, it is a peregrine falcon. If it asks Idaho’s official state bird for a quiz or homework question, it is the Mountain Bluebird.

Why does the Idaho quarter show a bird that is not Idaho’s state bird?

The peregrine falcon is the quarter’s design, even though it is not Idaho’s official state bird. The state bird is Mountain Bluebird, adopted in 1931, while the quarter design was selected much later for the 2007 release.

What visual clues on the coin help me identify the bird myself?

Look for a bird drawn in profile, usually with a head and beak facing one direction, and positioned above the outline of Idaho. That profile view matches how the peregrine is represented on the coin, not the Mountain Bluebird type of small, compact songbird silhouette.

Do the coin inscriptions like “Esto Perpetua” or “1890” affect which bird it is?

Idaho’s quarter text includes “Idaho,” the year “1890,” and the motto “Esto Perpetua,” which are separate design elements from the bird. The presence of these inscriptions does not indicate the bird species is Idaho’s state bird.

What is the fastest way to avoid mixing up Idaho’s state bird and the bird on the quarter?

Many people confuse state symbols with coin designs. A quick decision rule is: state bird questions point to Mountain Bluebird, while coin depiction questions point to the peregrine falcon.

Does Idaho effectively have two official birds because the quarter has a different species?

No. Idaho has only one official state bird, the Mountain Bluebird, but the Idaho quarter’s artwork depicts a different species. So “Idaho has two birds” is true only in the sense of “state symbol vs coin artwork,” not official designation.

Is the Mountain Bluebird unique to Idaho as a state bird?

Nevada also uses the Mountain Bluebird as its state bird, so it is one of the few state birds shared by multiple states. If you’re comparing state-bird lists, you may see the same species repeated across state borders in the intermountain West.

Why do photos of the Idaho quarter sometimes make the bird look different than what I expect?

Because the quarter image is commonly used in online photos, small differences in lighting or coin wear can make the species harder to confirm. If the bird looks too “small songbird-like,” remember that the coin’s bird is a raptor drawn in profile (peregrine), so focus on the overall shape and profile pose rather than color you expect from the living bird.

What should I answer if the wording on the worksheet is unclear?

If you see a question asking the bird depicted on the Idaho quarter specifically, answer peregrine falcon. If the question instead asks Idaho’s state bird, answer Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides). When in doubt, match the wording to “depicted on the coin” vs “official state bird.”

What Bird Is on the Idaho Quarter U.S. Coin

The bird on the Idaho quarter is a peregrine falcon. Released in 2007 as the 43rd coin in the U.S. 50 State Quarters Program, the Idaho quarter's reverse shows a peregrine falcon in profile, positioned above an outline of the state of Idaho. That's the official answer straight from the U.S. Mint: 'The Peregrine Falcon imposing its presence above an outline of the state of Idaho.'

One important thing to know: the peregrine is NOT Idaho's state bird

This trips people up. Idaho's official state bird, enshrined in Idaho Code § 67-4501, is the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), adopted by the legislature all the way back in 1931. If you are also wondering what is depicted on U.S. money, see what is the bird on the dollar bill for a related comparison. The peregrine falcon was chosen for the quarter coin design for a different reason entirely (more on that below). So if you're trying to answer a quiz question or homework question about Idaho's state bird, the answer is Mountain Bluebird. But if the question specifically asks what bird is depicted on the Idaho quarter, the answer is peregrine falcon. To answer the broader question of what is the bird of the United States, you can also compare state symbols to the national bird what is the bird depicted on the Idaho quarter.

How to confirm the bird on the coin is a peregrine falcon

If you're holding the coin or looking at an image of it and want to verify the species yourself, there are a few clear field marks to look for. The coin shows the bird in profile, which is actually ideal for spotting the peregrine's most distinctive features.

Dark malar stripe: Look for the bold, dark 'mustache' stripe running down from the eye along the side of the face. This is the peregrine's single most recognizable marking and it's clearly rendered on the coin.
Hooked beak: The beak is short, dark, and visibly hooked at the tip, typical of a falcon rather than a hawk or eagle.
Long, pointed wings: Even in a perched or profile pose, the wing shape suggests the long, tapered, swept-back wings that make peregrines the fastest birds on Earth.
Compact, powerful build: The bird has a broad chest and relatively short tail compared to, say, a red-tailed hawk or an eagle, giving it a stocky-but-sleek silhouette.
Barred underparts: The chest and belly show fine, horizontal dark barring on a white background, another classic peregrine feature.

The coin also includes the text 'Idaho,' the year '1890' (Idaho's statehood year), and the state motto 'Esto Perpetua' (Latin for 'Let it be perpetual'). The peregrine sits prominently above the state outline, making it the clear focal point of the design.

Idaho's official state bird: the Mountain Bluebird

Since the coin and the state bird are two different birds, it's worth knowing the Mountain Bluebird's key facts too. The Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is a medium-sized thrush, roughly 6 to 8 inches long. Males are a striking, vivid sky blue all over with a slightly paler belly, which makes them one of the most visually memorable birds in the American West. Females are a more muted gray-brown with blue-washed wings and tail. They nest in open meadows, grasslands, and mountain clearings, often using old woodpecker cavities or nest boxes.

Idaho adopted the Mountain Bluebird as its official state bird in 1931. The bird is well suited to Idaho's landscape: it thrives in high-elevation open country, including mountain meadows and sagebrush flats, which are quintessential Idaho habitats. It's also simply a beautiful bird, which doesn't hurt when a state legislature is picking a symbol.

Why the peregrine falcon ended up on the quarter

Peregrine falcon perched beside an antique-looking coin, evoking conservation recovery from DDT decline to protection.

The peregrine falcon has a powerful conservation story tied directly to Idaho. By 1970, the peregrine had been listed as an endangered species, devastated largely by DDT poisoning that thinned eggshells and crashed breeding populations across North America. The Peregrine Fund, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Boise, Idaho, led the captive breeding and release program that became central to the bird's recovery. By 1999, the peregrine falcon was removed from the endangered species list, one of the most celebrated wildlife comebacks in U.S. history.

When the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) evaluated design candidates for the Idaho quarter in January 2006, the peregrine falcon design (labeled 'ID-1') was one of the top two recommendations, alongside a Sawtooth Mountains design. The peregrine won out, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson highlighted the bird's recovery story at the official Idaho quarter celebration. The coin is effectively a tribute to Idaho's role in saving the species, not a depiction of the state bird.

Idaho is not alone in claiming the Mountain Bluebird. Nevada also designates the Mountain Bluebird as its official state bird, making it one of the bird species shared between two U.S. states. Both states share similar Great Basin and intermountain West landscapes where the Mountain Bluebird naturally thrives, so the overlap makes geographic sense.

State	Official State Bird	Bird on State Quarter
Idaho	Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)	Peregrine Falcon
Nevada	Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)	Bighorn Sheep (no bird)
Oklahoma	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

It's worth noting that Idaho is somewhat unusual in that its quarter features a bird that is NOT its official state bird. Most states that feature a bird on their quarter use their official state bird. Oklahoma, for example, features the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on its quarter, which is also Oklahoma's official state bird, making for a clean match. Idaho's situation is the exception, which is exactly why this question comes up so often.

Where to verify and explore further

If you want to double-check any of this with official sources, here's where to go. For the coin itself, the U.S. Mint's Idaho State Quarter page is the primary source and explicitly names the peregrine falcon as the depicted bird. For Idaho's official state bird, the Idaho Secretary of State's 'State Emblems' page and Idaho.gov's 'Facts and Symbols' section both confirm the Mountain Bluebird. If you want the legal text, Idaho Code Section 67-4501 is the statute that formally designates the Mountain Bluebird as the state bird.

On this site, you can dig deeper into individual state bird pages to compare how Idaho's Mountain Bluebird stacks up against birds from neighboring or similarly-themed states. If the Idaho quarter question came up in the context of comparing state quarters more broadly, it's also worth checking out pages on Oklahoma's state bird (the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher) and the national bird of the United States (the Bald Eagle, which appears on the dollar bill and many federal coins). Oklahoma chose the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as its state bird for a good reason, which is what this question is really getting at why is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Oklahoma state bird. Oklahoma's state bird is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, so that's the bird to look for when answering Oklahoma state bird questions. Each state has its own story about why it picked its bird, and Idaho's is genuinely one of the more interesting ones.

Confirm the coin bird: U.S. Mint Idaho State Quarter page (search 'Idaho quarter US Mint').
Confirm Idaho's state bird: Idaho Secretary of State 'State Emblems' page or Idaho.gov 'Facts and Symbols.'
Check the legal designation: Idaho Code § 67-4501 names the Mountain Bluebird by scientific name.
Explore state bird comparisons: Use this site's individual state bird pages to see which states share birds, which chose raptors, and which have the most unusual designations.
Learn about the peregrine's recovery story: The Peregrine Fund's website (peregrinefund.org) covers the Idaho-based recovery program in detail.