Connecticut Senate passes amendment naming Sue Bird, Jordan Hawkins state bird

The American robin stands alone as Connecticut’s state bird — except for the month of March, thanks to an amendment passed by the state Senate in a late-night session Tuesday.

Now, at least in March, Robin will be joined by two new birds … sort of. The amendment in question honors state basketball heroes Jordan Hawkins and Sue Bird.

Besides having avian-friendly names, both Hawkins and Byrd made major contributions UConn Men’s and women’s basketball in a state that calls itself the “Basketball Capital of the World.”

“The American robin, Tardus migratarius, will be the state bird. In March of each year, the American robin, Jordan Hawkins, and Suzanne Bridget Bird, also known as Sue Bird, will be the state birds,” Read the amendment.

Hawkins, now a guard New Orleans PelicansStorrs played two seasons, including a sophomore campaign in which he averaged 16.2 points for a Huskies squad that won the program’s fifth national championship. Bird — a legend in the women’s game — won a pair of national titles as part of an impressive career at UConn, capping a second undefeated senior season in which she won the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year award.

If the amendment is enacted, the American robin will have another 10 months to reign supreme as Connecticut’s state bird — and then, come March, it will have company.