ise AS UUs iO Ne Bevel ii Tet N 11 
Birds of Iowa in 18438 and Now* 
IT WAS IN 1843 that John James Audubon explored the western border of 
Iowa while on an expedition up the Missouri River to secure material for 
his “Quadrupeds of North America.” His daily account of the journey 
has proved of great historical value as to early-day navigation, hunting, 
wildlife, and Indians. Of particular interest is his record of birds found 
in the Iowa country, since it reveals that many present species were here 
a century ago while others have become extinct. 
cs 
COURTESY CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
American Goldfinch—State Bird of Iowa 
The eastern goldfinch, now the ornithological symbol of Iowa, was not 
listed in Audubon’s record of Iowa, though he saw it in the northwestern 
corner of Missouri. This bird was unanimously adopted as the state bird 
by the legislature of 1933 at the request of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union. 
The goldfinch is one of the most light-hearted of Iowa’s permanent residents. 
Audubon recorded the names of 52 birds sighted in the territory along 
the Missouri River now included in the state of Iowa. 
At present, it has been reliably reported that Iowa is the habitat of 
289 species of birds. In addition there are 56 rare or accidental visitors. 
Nineteen species have been added to the Iowa list recently, since they 
have been reported frequently in recent years. Six species have been 
*Selected from an article by Faye Brice MacMartin in the July Palimpsest of the State 
Historial Society of Iowa. 
