Western meadowlark
The western meadowlark is the state bird of six states: Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. The northern cardinal, which represents seven states, is the only bird to hold the status of state bird in more states.
Topeka Zoo
In 2011, the City hired a new zoo director by the name of Brendan Wiley. After this hire, the general demeanor of the citizens toward the zoo has been more positive.Kansas Carnivores, opened in 2009, features cougars and North American river otters in side-by-side exhibits.Black Bear Woods was built in 1997, and features animals from North America. Units house Virginia opossum, Harris hawk, and red-tailed hawk. Bald eagles and golden eagles live in tall flight pens. A coyote inhabits a densely planted exhibit. Four black bears live in a spacious enclosure with trees to climb. They can be viewed from an elevated walkway, or a ground level window.Waterbird Lagoon features three ponds. Waterfowl such as trumpeter swans live in these ponds. Many wild waterfowl visit these ponds such as mallard ducks, wood ducks, and herons.The Jungle Cats exhibit features rare Sumatran tigers in thickly planted, side-by-side exhibits. Both yards have water features. 3 Sumatran tigers cubs were born in May 2014.The Tropical Rainforest was the first indoor rainforest exhibit in the United States. Birds, such as scarlet macaw, Bali mynah, roseate spoonbill, and scarlet ibis, are free roaming, as well as Hoffman's two-toed sloth, and Indian Flying Fox. Individual exhibits house three-banded Armadillo, Red-footed tortoises, and a small, deer-like species called greater mouse-deer.The Animals and Man building features exhibits for small animals, such as black-and-white ruffed lemurs and African crested porcupine. This building also serves as the indoor house for the zoo's hippopotamus, African and Asian elephants, and giraffe. They all have large outdoor yards, and the giraffes share theirs with East African crowned cranes.Formerly Lion's Pride, this exhibit (currently under construction) will have three African lions in a spacious exhibit, African Wild Dogs in an adjoining yard, and Patas monkeys in an exhibit spanning the entrance to Camp Cowabunga. The main feature will be a central plaza where guests can view various artifacts from Africa, sit in a canoe used in the Zambezi, and view the animals from safari tents. In the future, this area will view a new exhibit for African Elephants. In the Lianas Forest (formerly Discovering Apes) building, orangutans live behind glass in an enclosure replicating the treetops in Borneo. They also have a spacious outdoor yard, meant to emulate Camp Leakey. The Treetop Conservation Center is now part of the building. A tunnel leads visitors through an outdoor enclosure which now houses sun bears that once housed gorillas.The Children's Zoo was added in 1992, and has domestic animals, such as sheep and goats to feed. There is a playground next to the Children's Zoo.