The State Bird - Cardinal
In 1933, the Ohio General Assembly made the cardinal Ohio’s state bird. The cardinal’s scientific name is Cardinalis cardinalis.
When Europeans first arrived in Ohio in the late 1600’s, Ohio was 95 percent forest and cardinals were rare to the area. As forests were cleared, the habitat became more suitable for cardinals. By the late 1800s, cardinals had expanded into the modified habitat of Ohio and could be found across the state.