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Lists / Colleges with Bird Mascots

Colleges with Bird Mascots

Created by College Confidential

January 5th is National Bird Day! Birds inspire and delight with their intelligence, grace, and ability to soar. It's no surprise that birds are one of the most common college mascots. One bird in particular is a popular mascot for colleges to choose. (Hint: It's not a Seagull, but close...) Read on to learn more about colleges with bird mascots.

Know of another college with a bird mascot? Email editorial@collegeconfidential.com and we'll add it.

University of Oregon

  • University of Oregon
    Eugene, OR 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate86%
  • The University of Oregon's mascot is a duck in a green and white clothes. If you think the Oregon Duck looks suspiciously like Donald Duck, it's because he does. In 1947, the University of Oregon's athletic director made a deal with his friend Walt Disney to use Donald's likeness as their mascot. Why a duck? Rumor has it that a duck was chosen because Oregonians used to be called "webfoots" because of the state's rainy weather and muddy landscape.

    United States Air Force Academy

  • United States Air Force Academy
    USAF Academy, CO 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate16%
  • It makes sense that the U.S. Air Force Academy would have a bird mascot. USAF's mascot is a falcon, and it is one of the only institutions to have a real live animal for a mascot. In September 2020, a baby chick named Nova received the honor of being the Air Force Academy's newest mascot, after her predecessor Aurora died at the age of 23. Aurora was the longest-living live mascot in history.

    The University of Kansas

  • The University of Kansas
    Lawrence, KS 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate88%
  • The University of Kansas' mascot is a mythical bird called a Jayhawk, which is thought to be a cross between a hawk and blue jay.

    Florida Gulf Coast University

  • Florida Gulf Coast University
    Fort Myers, FL 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate74%
  • Azul the Eagle is Florida Gulf Coast's mascot.

    Stevens Institute of Technology

  • Stevens Institute of Technology
    Hoboken, NJ 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate46%
  • Attilla the Duck has been the official mascot of Stevens Institute of Technology since March 1972.

    University of Southern Indiana

  • University of Southern Indiana
    Evansville, IN 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate94%
  • Archibald, or Archie, the Eagle is the official of University of Southern Indiana.

    Johns Hopkins University

  • Johns Hopkins University
    Baltimore, MD 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate7%
  • Johns Hopkins's mascot is the Blue Jay fittingly named Jay. First introduced in 1920, Jay's signature costume got a

    Emory University

  • Emory University
    Atlanta, GA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate11%
  • Emory University's mascot is Swoop the Eagle. In additional to cheering Emory on at athletic competitions, Swoops represents the University at charity even

    University of Miami

  • University of Miami
    Coral Gables, FL 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate19%
  • The University of Miami adopted the Ibis as it's mascot in 1926, the same year the school yearbook was called "The Ibis." The Ibis is a bird native to the Florida Everglades that is known to be the last wildlife to flee before a hurricane. The name Sebastian was introduced in 1957 for San Sebastian Hall, t

    Bryn Mawr College

  • Bryn Mawr College
    Bryn Mawr, PA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate39%
  • Bryn Mawr's mascot is Predator, an Owl that symbolizes the Greek goddess Athena.

    University of North Florida

  • University of North Florida
    Jacksonville, FL 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate71%
  • University of North Florida's mascot is Ozzie, an osprey.

    Rice University

  • Rice University
    Houston, TX 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate9%
  • Rice's mascot is Sammy the Owl. Sammy got his named in 1917, when a likeness of the mascot was stolen by Texas A&M. Rice hired a private detective to recover the owl, and when he found the owl he sent a coded message back ot the University referring to the owl as "Sammy." The name has stuck ever since.

    Brandeis University

  • Brandeis University
    Waltham, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate39%
  • Olly the Owl of one of Brandeis's two mascot

    Texas Woman's University

  • Texas Woman's University
    Denton, TX 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate94%
  • Texas Woman's University's mascot is Minerva, an old named for the Roman goddess of wisdom and war. The goddess is often depicted with an owl beside her.

    Temple University

  • Temple University
    Philadelphia, PA 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate80%
  • Temple's mascot is a great horned owl named Stella. Stella is a live owl who can be found at the Elmwood Park Zoo, where she lives with her partner Sherlock, when not watching Temple play from the sidelines.

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Blacksburg, VA 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate57%
  • Virginia Tech's mascot is a turkey called the HokieBird. Students who dress up as HokieBird stay anonymous until graduation, when they reveal their identity by wearing the mascot's feet to graduation.

    The University of Iowa

  • The University of Iowa
    Iowa City, IA 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate86%
  • University of Iowa's mascot is Herky the Hawk, a hawk dressed in a black and gold uniform.

    State University of New York at New Paltz

  • State University of New York at New Paltz
    New Paltz, NY 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate58%
  • SUNY New Paltz's mascot is Hugo the Hawk.

    Georgia Southern University

  • Georgia Southern University
    Statesboro, 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate89%
  • GSU's mascot is Gus the Eagle.

    Marquette University

  • Marquette University
    Milwaukee, WI 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate87%
  • Marquette's mascot is Iggy the Golden Eagle. The University just adopted an official name for it's mascot in 2020. Iggy is named for St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.

    California State University, Los Angeles

  • California State University, Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, CA 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate87%
  • CSU Los Angeles' mascot is Eddie the Golden Eagle.

    University of North Texas

  • University of North Texas
    Denton, TX 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate82%
  • A green eagle named Scrappy is the mascot for the North Texas Mean Green.

    Reed College

  • Reed College
    Portland, OR 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate31%
  • Reed's official mascot is a mythical creature called a Griffin, but their unofficial mascot is The Doyle Owl. The Doyle Owl tradition began over a century ago when Reed students stole an owl statue from a neighbor and placed it on campus, and the statue soon went missing before being found again. Since then, the Doyle Owl has had all kinds of misadventures, including being encased in ice, shipped across the country, and even appeared in a Tears for Fears music video.

    American University

  • American University
    Washington, DC 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate41%
  • Is there any mascot more American than the Eagle? Clawed Z. Eagle is the official mascot of American University.

    Ball State University

  • Ball State University
    Muncie, IN 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate69%
  • Charlie Cardinal has been Ball State's mascot since 1929.

    Pitzer College

  • Pitzer College
    Claremont, CA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate18%
  • Cecil the Sage Hen is the mascot of both Pitzer and Pomona (which share a campus in Claremont,CA). Cecil is a Sagegrouse, a type of bird known for its loyalty to specific areas.

    Pomona College

  • Pomona College
    Claremont, CA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate7%
  • Pomona and Pitzer share a mascot: a Sage Grouse named Cecil the Sage Hen.

    Lamar University

  • Lamar University
    Beaumont, TX 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate84%
  • Lamar University's mascot is a red cardinal.

    Florida Atlantic University

  • Florida Atlantic University
    Boca Raton, FL 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate81%
  • FAU's mascots are two burrowing owls named Owlsley and Hoot.

    Barry University

  • Barry University
    Miami Shores, FL 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate60%
  • Barry University's mascot is Bucky, a pirate parrot who cheers on the Barry Buccaneers.

    State University of New York at Plattsburgh

  • State University of New York at Plattsburgh
    Plattsburgh, NY 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate70%
  • SUNY Plattsburgh's mascot is a cardinal

    Creighton University

  • Creighton University
    Omaha, NE 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate76%
  • Creighton's mascot is Billy the Bluejay.

    Winthrop University

  • Winthrop University
    Rock Hill, SC 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate70%
  • Winthrop's mascot is a bald eagle named Big Stuff.

    Boston College

  • Boston College
    Chestnut Hill, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate17%
  • BC's mascot is Baldwin the Eagle, an anthropomorphized bald eagle.

    University of Delaware

  • University of Delaware
    Newark, DE 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate70%
  • University of Delaware's mascot are fantastical fighting Blue Hens named YouDee and Baby Blue.

    Tennessee Technological University

  • Tennessee Technological University
    Cookeville, TN 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate76%
  • Tennessee Tech's mascot is the awesome Eagle.

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