Flamingo vs. Mockingbird

Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Florida lawmakers may once again try to make the flamingo the state bird, in lieu of the current mockingbird. House Bill 81, which Republican Representative Jim Mooney, of Islamorada, filed on Friday, Jan. 3, seeks to replace the mockingbird, which has long been the state bird, with the flamingo. The bill also seeks to designate the Florida scrub jay as the official state songbird. It’s not the first time that bills proposing the flamingo and scrub jay have been filed in the legislature. A similar proposal, for example, was filed last year but failed to gain any traction in the session. In May, Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Florida Fish and Wild