Common Name: Brown Thrasher
Scientific Name: Toxostoma rufum
Year Adopted as State Bird: 1935
Range in State: Statewide in wooded areas or developed gardens, though migratory in the northern part of the state
Shared With Other States: None
Though designated as the official state bird by the governor's proclamation in 1935, it wasn't until 1970 that the brown thrasher's avian ambassador role was agreed upon by the state legislature.
These songbirds are accomplished mimics with one of the largest vocal repertoires of all North American songbirds, and brown thrashers in northern Georgia sing different notes and phrases than birds in the southern part of the state. Despite the bird's beauty and familiarity, there has been a semi-humorous movement to replace the brown thrasher with the chicken as the official state bird because Georgia is a popular poultry producer.
Photo – Brown Thrasher © Dan Pancamo
Scientific Name: Toxostoma rufum
Year Adopted as State Bird: 1935
Range in State: Statewide in wooded areas or developed gardens, though migratory in the northern part of the state
Shared With Other States: None
Though designated as the official state bird by the governor's proclamation in 1935, it wasn't until 1970 that the brown thrasher's avian ambassador role was agreed upon by the state legislature.
These songbirds are accomplished mimics with one of the largest vocal repertoires of all North American songbirds, and brown thrashers in northern Georgia sing different notes and phrases than birds in the southern part of the state. Despite the bird's beauty and familiarity, there has been a semi-humorous movement to replace the brown thrasher with the chicken as the official state bird because Georgia is a popular poultry producer.
Photo – Brown Thrasher © Dan Pancamo