April 8, 1931

The American robin became the official state bird.

The Michigan Audubon Society had conducted a contest to choose a state bird and the American robin received almost one-fourth of the 200,000 votes. The closest runner-up was the chickadee. Sponsors called the robin “the best-known and best-loved of all the birds in the state of Michigan.”

Thank you Michigan Start Pages for this glimpse into our past.  See more here.