The Cardinal is the state bird of several states. There have been three versions of the Illinois environmental specialty, and two versions each of the Kentucky environmental and the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation specialties.

 

Alabama helps protect forests with this image of the state bird, the Yellowhammer, in a forest. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission series of specialty plates includes one of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

 

These plates combine state birds and state flowers. Idaho specialty: Mountain bluebird & syringa. Maine 1999 base: chickadee & pine cone tassel. Missouri 2008 base: Eastern bluebird & white hawthorn blossom. Nebraska 2011 base: Western meadowlark & goldenrod. South Carolina 1991 base: Carolina wren & yellow jessamine.

 

Hummingbirds drink nectar on this duo of specialties.

 

The Brown pelican, the state bird of Louisiana, has been prominent on several of the state’s plates, including the environmental specialty (left) and the 2006 base (right).

 

Montana has many specialty plates, including the “Bird Habitat” and “Wilderness” issues. The latter features the state bird, the Western meadowlark.

 

A heron by the Chesapeake, a chickadee, a Northern saw-whet owl, bald eagles, and a grosbeak highlight the specialties below.

 

New York’s version of an Eastern bluebird is more striking than its Tennessee counterpart, but both help out environmental organizations.

 

The “Nature’s Finest” plates help protect Kentucky wildlife, including the additional winged creatures below. On the bottom, the “Promoting Wildlife” plate is the Quail Unlimited specialty–similar, but not part of the same series.

 

The Northern bobcat quail has a history in Georgia, so it has appeared on different versions of a specialty plate.

 

The goldfinch and the pheasant have been immortalized in the “Natural Resources” series of Iowa specialty license plates.

 

The Indiana environmental specialty with an eagle has gone through a couple versions.