Did you know Oregon has a state insect? And a state crustacean? And …

QuickTake:

Here‘s a guide to Oregon’s official symbols, from soup to nuts. Well, actually there isn’t a state soup. But there is indeed a state nut. And there isn’t a state bird — because there are two. Proponents of these symbols say they help build pride and unity, even in a divided society.

Pop quiz: What’s Oregon’s state bird?

If you answered “the Western meadowlark,” you’re not wrong — but you’re not exactly right, either. It turns out Oregon has two state birds. But we’ll get to that.

State symbols are things like birds, flowers or trees that represent a state’s culture or natural heritage. Delaware was the first U.S. state to adopt an official state symbol, establishing its state seal on January 17, 1777.

Oregon’s state symbols are designated by the Oregon Legislature and are included in the Oregon Blue Book, published by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office.

“Like many states, Oregon has state symbols that represent our unique identity, history and scenic beauty,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read wrote to Lookout Eugene-Springfield in an email. “Our state symbols … embody Oregon’s character, highlight our economy, and promote tourism and pride.”

You probably already know Oregon’s state animal, the beaver — which is also the state animal of New York. But you probably don’t know Oregon’s state fossil, state seashell or state dance. And when it comes to the Western meadowlark, which is also a symbol shared by several other states, there’s a plot twist.

The bird that almost wasn’t

The meadowlark controversy began innocently enough. As a fifth-grader growing up in Portland, Chris Thomas, now 68 and living in Eugene, was assigned to report statistics on multiple states, and he traced the same bird — the Western meadowlark — for several states.

“I thought, I grew up in Portland, and we never saw any meadowlarks around. What’s the deal?” he said. “I always kind of wondered, why the heck do we have the meadowlark?”

Fast forward to 2012, when Thomas moved to Eugene. Ducks fever was high because the University of Oregon football team was excelling. Thomas wondered why the state bird wasn’t the duck. He launched a Change.org petition that garnered more than 2,300 signatures.

That’s when things got interesting.

The governor’s office responded that changing the state bird required legislative action. But Thomas questioned whether the governor had originally designated it in the first place. His research uncovered a historical loophole.

In 1927, the Oregon Audubon Society had organized a statewide contest, circulating ballots to schoolchildren across Oregon — an impressive logistical feat for the era. Students chose from five or six songbirds, and the meadowlark won overwhelmingly. Gov. I.L. Patterson thought it was wonderful and issued a proclamation naming it Oregon’s state bird.

But there was a problem: The governor couldn’t actually create state symbols. Only the Legislature could do that. According to Thomas, the contest was held when the Legislature was not in session. When the Legislature came back into session, Patterson never bothered to submit his proclamation to be ratified. Patterson died of pneumonia in 1929, without ever having seen to this detail. Generations of Oregonians grew up believing it was official. But if you looked in the Constitution’s list of state symbols, no state bird appeared.

“We never really had an official state bird, because the Legislature never knew about it,” Thomas said.

In 2017, state Sen. Fred Girod introduced a bill to name the osprey as Oregon’s state bird. Thomas testified at the hearing, bringing a copy of Patterson’s original proclamation and arguing that any new designation should involve another statewide vote. And, he argued, perhaps the duck should be considered.

The Legislature found a creative solution. Instead of picking one bird, they designated both: the Western meadowlark as the state songbird and the osprey as the state raptor.

“So in terms of trivia, if you were to say, ‘What’s the state bird of Oregon,’ it would be a trick question, because we don’t have a state bird,” Thomas said. “We have a state songbird and a raptor.”

More than trivial pursuit

Douglas fir trees, the state tree of Oregon, on the University of Oregon Campus in Eugene, Dec. 29, 2025. Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

Thomas’ passion for this topic goes beyond ornithological correctness. He sees state symbols as powerful tools for unity in divisive times.

“You can go to a bar and have the most progressive person in the world sitting next to the biggest MAGA person in their UO Duck gear, and they’re very enthusiastic about how much they love their Ducks,” he said. “I think in this world where we’re splitting into polar opposites … we need to start using tools like state symbols to bring us together.”

His next campaign is getting the duck named Oregon’s state waterfowl. Oregon State fans from Corvallis might object, but as Thomas notes, the beaver already has its own side of the state flag — yes, Oregon’s flag is two-sided, the only one in the nation that is.

To some, the Legislature debating state symbols might seem like a waste of time. But to Thomas and many others, these designations have meaning.

“Symbols are really powerful, as long as you’re concentrating on the ones that bring people together,” Thomas said. “We have symbols [that] might be some sort of a way to heal our political wounds.”

Oregon’s official symbols

While the bird situation is complicated, Oregon has designated numerous other symbols over the years, each representing some aspect of Oregon’s identity, economy or natural heritage.

State animal: American beaver, Castor canadensis, designated in 1969. Oregon is known as the “Beaver state” and the beaver is Oregon State University’s mascot.
State beverage: Milk, designated in 1997. Elementary school students from Tillamook requested the recognition.
State crustacean: Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister, designated in 2009. The fourth grade class of Sunset Primary School in West Linn petitioned for the designation.
State dance: Square dance, designated in 1977. The Oregon Blue Book says, “The pioneer origins of the dance and the characteristic dress are deemed to reflect Oregon’s heritage. The lively spirit of the dance exemplifies the friendly, free nature and enthusiasm that are part of the Oregon character.”
State fish: Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, designated in 1961. The Chinook salmon is the largest of the Pacific salmon.
State flag: Designated in 1925, it features the state seal on a navy blue background, with a beaver on the reverse side. Gold lettering declares “State of Oregon 1859,” the year Oregon became the 33rd state.
State flower: Oregon grape, Mahonia aquifolium, designated in 1899. Oregon Grape is native to much of the Pacific Coast and bears edible fruit that ripen in the fall.

A dawn redwood, once thought to be extinct, on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Dec. 29, 2025. Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

State fossil: Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, designated in 2005. Fossils of the Metasequoia tree can be found across Oregon. The tree was believed to be extinct across the world, but in the 1940s the tree was found growing in a remote area in China and brought back to the U.S. A prime example of the tree grows on the University of Oregon campus on the southeast side of Cascade Hall.
State fruit: Pear, Pyrus communis, designated in 2005. Only the state of Washington produces more pears than Oregon.
State gemstone: Oregon sunstone, designated in 1987. Sunstone is a transparent orange gem in the feldspar family.
State insect: Oregon swallowtail butterfly, Papilio oregonius, designated in 1979. The Oregon swallowtail is native to the Northwest, and prefers habitat in the lower sagebrush canyons.
State motto: Designated in 1957, the motto is “Alis Volat Propriis,” translated from Latin as “She Flies With Her Own Wings.”
State mushroom: Pacific golden chanterelle, Cantharellus formosus, designated in 1999. The chanterelle is a highly prized, edible mushroom that appears on menus all over the state in the fall. More than 500,000 pounds of Pacific golden chanterelles are harvested annually in Oregon.
State nut: Hazelnut, or filbert, Corylus avellana, designated in 1989. Oregon, the top hazelnut-producing state in the country, grows about 99% of the nation’s supply.
State microbe: Brewer’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, designated in 2013. A nod to Oregon’s craft brewing industry.
State pageant: Happy Canyon Pageant, designated in 2011. The Happy Canyon Indian Pageant and Wild West Show is part of the Pendleton Round-Up.
State pet: The Legislature designated rescue cats and dogs as Oregon’s official state pet in 2023.
State pie: Marionberry pie, designated in 2017. The marionberry is a uniquely Oregon fruit, created by Oregon State University after crossing the “Chehalem” and “Olallie” blackberry varieties and released in 1956.
State raptor: Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, designated in 2017. The Legislature said the osprey is “a fitting symbol of Oregon’s rugged independence, strength and resilience, evoking Oregon’s lakes, rivers, streams and ocean.”
State rock: Thunderegg, designated in 1965. Thundereggs are nodules formed in lava flows. They are usually about the size of oranges and are filled with agate, similar to a geode.
State seal: Designated on Sept. 17, 1857, the state seal consists of a shield supported by 33 stars and divided by a ribbon with the inscription “The Union.” The Oregon Blue Book says, “Above the ribbon are the mountains and forests of Oregon, an elk with branching antlers, a covered wagon and ox team, the Pacific Ocean with setting sun, a departing British man-of-war ship signifying the departure of British influence in the region, and an arriving American merchant ship, signifying the rise of American power. Below the ribbon is a quartering with a sheaf of wheat, plow and pickax, representing Oregon’s mining and agricultural resources. The crest is the American Eagle and around the perimeter of the seal is the legend ‘State of Oregon 1859.’”
State seashell: Hairy triton, Fusitriton oregonensis, designated in 1848. One of the largest shells found in the state at up to 5 inches, it ranges from Alaska to California and washes up on Oregon beaches at high tide.
State soil: Jory soil, designated in 2011. The soil is named after Jory Hill in Marion County, which was named for pioneers James and Mary Jory.
State song: “Oregon, My Oregon,” designated in 1927. The song was written by J.A. Buchanan of Astoria and Henry B. Murtagh of Portland in 1920, who entered the song into a state-sponsored competition. In 2021, the Oregon Legislature approved updated lyrics written by Amy Shapiro of Beaverton, to reflect a more inclusive view.
State songbird: Western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, chosen to be the state bird by schoolchildren in 1927 and proclaimed by Gov. Patterson in 1927, declared to be State Songbird in 2017. The birds are native to western North America and prefer the sagebrush habitat of eastern Oregon. Look for yellow breasts and bellies and brown-spotted backs.
State steak: The T-bone was added to the list June 18, 2025.
State tartan: Tartan with Secretary of State registration number 36406 and Scottish Tartans Authority ITI number 5743 was designated as the official tartan in 2017.
State tree: Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, designated in 1939. A 19th century Scottish botanist named David Douglas gave his name to the Oregon state tree. Douglas traveled throughout the country while working for the Royal Horticultural Society, collecting and documenting hundreds of plant species.
State vegetable: Potatoes, all varieties, designated in 2023.

In addition to this list, Reedsport was designated in 2011 as the chainsaw carving capital. Oregon’s official colors, blue and gold, were selected in 1959.