The Rhode Island Red Hen became Rhode Island’s official state bird on May 3, 1954.
A portrait of the Rhode Island Red was presented to Governor Roberts. It had been painted in the 1920s by Arthur O. Schilling, the United States’ leading poultry artist.
The Rhode Island Red, Governor Roberts said, “…has become a symbol of Rhode Islanders all over the world.”
The Rhode Island state bird, the Rhode Island Red, is a domestic bird(chicken) and therefore has no place in Audubon’s Birds of America, whichis comprised exclusively of wild birds native to North America.
