CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Northern Cardinal is the state bird in seven different states: Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and, of course, West Virginia. It’s the most frequently used state bird in America, mostly because it’s easy to spot and is commonly found east of the Mississippi.

But what if West Virginia wanted a different state bird to stand out from the rest? What species could succeed the famous cardinal while also staying true to its West Virginia roots?

One species that could make a case to be West Virginia’s state bird is the Cerulean Warbler which can be found throughout Appalachian forests. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, West Virginia is essentially the home turf for this blue bird; 26.7% of all Cerulean Warblers breed here in West Virginia, more than anywhere else in the world. The Cerulean Warbler is also visually distinct thanks to its blue coat and is also common enough to be seen with some regularity.

Making the Cerulean Warbler the state bird would also likely improve conservation efforts for this bird species and raise awareness about its decline, as the Cerulean Warbler has lost over half of its global population in the last 50 years according to the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s “State of the Birds 2022” report.

Fun Fact: According to the American Bird Conservancy, female Cerulean Warblers exhibit a behavior called “bungee jumping.” To avoid giving away the location of their nests by flying away, they will drop off the side of their nest with their wings folded and only start flying when they have fallen far enough away. This works because these birds prefer to nest in high-up treetop canopies.

For those West Virginians that feel strongly about having a red state bird, another alternative could be the Scarlet Tanager, a close relative of the Northern Cardinal and one of the brightest colored birds in the north-eastern U.S. These birds also spend their breeding season in West Virginia, though not to the same degree as the Cerulean Warbler. During the winter they migrate as far south as Peru and Bolivia, west of Brazil, and have a particular fondness for berry plants like mulberries, raspberries and blackberries.

It’s rarer to see these colorful birds compared to Cerulean Warblers or Northern Cardinals because of their preferred habitat. Scarlet Tanagers like to live in large uninterrupted tracks of woodland, so you’re more likely to see them on a hike in the Monongahela National Forest than you are in your backyard.