Students in the City of Morgantown are invited to help select the City Bird.

Review the birds’ descriptions and pictures below before completing the survey.
Voting Period ends on April 30, 2010

The Mountaineer Chapter of the National Audubon Society has designed a process for nominating a local bird species that could be selected as official Morgantown city bird. Just as the cardinal has been adopted as a state bird in West Virginia, a city like Morgantown can adopt a city bird species.

The Audubon Society has developed a list of common birds that would be suitable candidates. It is seeking the help of other organizations and interested persons to prepare a list of nominees which can be presented to students in Morgantown schools. The students will be asked to vote to select their favorite bird species to recommend to the Morgantown City Council by the end of April 2010.

This is an innovative initiative for our area of the country. Having a city bird will help young people and other Morgantown people become more aware of birds in our lives and the habitats that they use. It will also help us all increase sensitivity to the importance of protecting birds and the environment that we share with them. In addition to promoting educational and environmental issues, this initiative will help the city to participate more fully in the rapidly increasing field of eco-tourism.

Our thanks go to the Audubon people and to all who participate in this very special project!

Bill Byrne
Mayor of Morgantown
West Virginia

Candidates for City Bird of Morgantown, WV

Birds Presented in AOU order	Each bird name is a link to a more detailed description by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology	Click on each thumbnail to see a larger picture	Relationship to Morgantown
1.	Woodpecker, Pileated		This crow size woodpecker announces it presence in the city with loud calls. These birds make oval entrances to their nest cavities and love carpenter ants. The Pileated Woodpecker can be seen (and at least usually heard) in the Arboretum on a regular basis.
2.	Jay, Blue		Blue Jays are found during every month of year. The noisy birds love to eat acorns and sunflower seeds.
3.	Titmouse, Tufted		The Titmouse was once the WV State Bird but was replaced by a vote of the school children of the state. This little gray bird with a crest and chestnut sides frequents the tops of trees and our feeders.
4.	Wren, Carolina		This songster frequents the Morgantown landscape. They will nest in flower pots or our garden sheds.
5.	Bluebird, Eastern		The Eastern Bluebird is a year round resident of Morgantown. During the summer the Bluebird forages open short grass areas such as lawns. In the winter the Bluebird is found along the Mon River and in brushy thickets.
6.	Goldfinch, American		Goldfinches are year round residents in Morgantown. In the summer these bright yellow male goldfinches love to eat small seeds like dandelion or thistle. The male change color during the winter to shades of olive green. They frequent bird feeders and love thistle seed.

Voting Period ends on April 30, 2010

To vote for Morgantown's City Bird click on the Vote Button

Our appreciation goes to Derek D. Courtney, MD of Morgantown, WV and Matt Orise of Summit Point, WV for granting use of their photographs.
Thanks to Sebastian Diaz, Ph.D., J.D. of Diaz Consulting, LLC for creating the survey and tabulating the data.
Acknowledgements go to Debbie Jones and Larry Schwab for their assistance.
Gratitude goes to Deputy Mayor Don Spencer for initiating the City Bird Project.

Photographs used on this web site may not be used without permission.
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