Coining the Birds

We'll go a little off-topic today, folks. Here's why: last week I had reason to visit my local credit union office to convert a bag full of spare-change-coins into a deposit. And for whatever reason I laid eyes on a couple of "Commemorative State Quarters" with images of birds, something I'd never really noticed before. I was embarrassed, but quite naturally, I gave thought to what coins honored birds in some way, and it is a larger list than I would have guessed. Recognize any?

Arkansas: Mallard Duck
California: California Condor
Idaho: Peregrine Falcon
Louisiana: Eastern Brown Pelican (State bird)
Minnesota: Common Loon (State bird)
Oklahoma: Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher (State bird)
South Carolina: Carolina Wren (State bird)
South Dakota: Ring-necked Pheasant (State bird)
Virgin Islands: Bananaquit (Official bird)

Nine out of fifty six. Not bad, all things considered. And it's a nice thought that the designers of these coins thought birds were a distinctive representation of their state's character. And maybe someday, we might even see a Birds of America series featuring some of our most iconic birds. Well, maybe.