Voting Period ended on March 26, 2010

Results of the First Round
Second Round will be students of Morgantown voting
in April to select the winner
from the top six.

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 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders in Morgantown elementary 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

	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.	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.
2.	Catbird, Gray		Catbirds are edge birds found in the bushy areas around the neighborhoods. Catbirds are a rare find during the winter.
3.	Chickadee, Carolina		Morgantown is the transition zone between the breeding territories of Carolina Chickadee and Black-capped Chickadee. Most chickadees seen during the summer are Carolina. Black-caps breed at higher elevations, but move into town in the winter. These species also hybridize; so many chickadees in Morgantown are hybrids.
4.	Finch, House		House Finches are year round residents. These are transplants from the western states and taken very well to the living in the eastern urban areas. They often nest in hanging flowerpots on our front porches.
5.	Flicker, Northern		Flickers are can be found year round in Morgantown. In the summer, ants are a favorite food. Many migrate out of town for the winter.
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.
7.	Jay, Blue		Blue Jays are found during every month of year. The noisy birds love to eat acorns and sunflower seeds.
8.	Killdeer		Killdeer nest in areas with gravel. These birds can be found in our yards and open areas. A few can be found throughout the winter and are one of the first birds seen after the snows melt.
9.	Mockingbird, Northern		Mockingbirds are true to their name and mimic the songs of other birds. They can be seen singing from high perches around town. They are year round residents of Morgantown.
10.	Nuthatch, White-breasted		Nuthatches are usually seen in pairs. Their habits of walking head down on the trunks of trees and giving a laughing call note makes these birds easy to identify.
11.	Screech-Owl, Eastern		These secretive birds nest in the neighborhoods around Morgantown. In the summer they feed on large insects and during the winter on small animals.
12.	Robin, American		The robin is thought of as the harbinger of spring, but can be found in Morgantown during every month. People know this bird hopping around the yard. When cold weather sets in, most migrate and others move in from the north. In the winter they can be found in thickets, crab apple and berry trees, and around the river.
13.	Sparrow, Song		This songster is a year round resident. They like the lawn edges, ditches and stream banks. This streaked breasted bird with a center dot comes to our feeders in the winter.
14.	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.
15.	Waxwing, Cedar		These colorful birds are multiple shades of brown and yellow with a black mask and bright orange wing tips. They love the berries in town’s shrubbery. They can be found every month of the year.
16.	Woodpecker, Downy		This small acrobatic woodpecker can be seen year round. Their active foraging is fun to watch as they look for insects, poison ivy berries and our suet feeders.
17.	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.
18.	Woodpecker, Red-bellied		These medium sized birds have a large red patch from their forehead over the head to the nape of the neck. Folks are tempted to call them Red-headed Woodpeckers which have a red face and throat, too.
19.	Wren, Carolina		This songster frequents the Morgantown landscape. They will nest in flower pots or our garden sheds.
20.	Eastern Phoebe		The Eastern Phoebe is a neo-tropical migrant. Some Phoebes are found in the Morgantown area year round. Others migrate south. They can be found in Morgantown’s Sister City of Guanajuato, Mexico. Who knows maybe the summer Eastern Phoebes in Morgantown fly to Guanajuato for winter!

Voting Period ended on March 26, 2010

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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