Raven to Join Oriole as State Bird?

On the heels of the Baltimore Ravens' thrilling playoff run and Super Bowl victory, state legislators have introduced Senate and House bills to make the raven an official state bird of Maryland.

Of course, Maryland already has one state bird, our beloved Baltimore oriole, which received its special distinction in 1947. (Although the state first made special provisions to protect the Baltimore oriole in 1882, according to Maryland records.)

According to reporting by The Washington Post,Baltimore County state Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Democrat, filed a bill Thursday afternoon that would place the raven alongside the oriole, essentially giving Maryland two state birds. Identical legislation, with 21 co-sponsors, was introduced in the House of Delegates, according to The Post. “There’s so much that divides us in this state, and this is certainly one thing that can unite us,” Zirkin told The Post. “It makes eminent sense.”

A similar effort in 2001, after the Ravens won their first Super Bowl, failed to win passage when a vote in The House Commerce and Government Matters Committee, with one delegate absent, ended in a 10-10 tie, according to a Capital News Service report at the time.

There is also a push this year to name the soft-shell crab sandwich the official “state sandwich.” Overall, there are 23 official state symbols.

So, what do you think? Is it time to give the oriole a companion?