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The Northern Cardinal was a curiosity in Ohio before the 19th Century due to the heavily forested environment that enveloped most of the state. Cardinals are partial to a habitat consisting mainly of woodlands, brushes, and open plains, so the dense forest was not an ideal home for the bird. Eventually, European settlers began cutting down the forest for fuel, farm land, and building supplies, and by the late 1800s, all of Ohio had become densely populated with cardinals. Now you can find cardinals in all of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties, in both urban and rural environments. In recognition of the popularity of this bird, as well as their prominent color and singing abilities, the Ohio General Assembly designated the Northern Cardinal as the state bird of Ohio in 1933.