the lead pickings were good , the lucky miner could fluff up his badger hole or upgrade to a more traditional Euro-American residence . For this practice Wisconsin miners were dubbed `` badgers '' -- a jibe that was soon appropriated as a proud , statewide nickname . Bucky did n't come along until 1949 ; the furry , quadruped badger , notoriously vicious when cornered , was n't declared Wisconsin 's state animal until 1957 . Other miners migrated south for the winter to the far end of Illinois , much like the region 's sucker fish ; which earned them the nickname of Suckers , and their state of Illinois its unenviable nickname , The Sucker State . Mental Floss : How 22 colleges got their nicknames ` Rebel ' woodpecker The state bird of Alabama has another tale behind it . They honor a little woodpecker they call the yellowhammer , which is known outside of Alabama as the northern flicker , the common flicker , or simply The Flicker . -LRB- It eats a lot of ants , and is not to be confused with the yellowhammer bunting of Europe and New Zealand . -RRB- State
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Almost everyone knows that each state of the Union has its own flag . State flags , however , are just the most visible elements of an elaborate , esoteric system of legalized symbols that characterize and codify our united states . It 's time we were all exposed to the bizarre symbology of state identity-politics . Texas ' state flower , the bluebonnet , is celebrated in the Texas state song . To begin with , some of the most well-known state symbols allude to lesser-known meanings and histories . I grew up in Wisconsin and only recently learned that the Badger State title originally refers not to Bucky , nor to the savage beast itself , but to lead miners in the 1820s and 30s . These miners moved from prospect to prospect in southwestern Wisconsin , traveling light and often , with little money for luxury . When winter came and conditions worsened , those miners too far from home to migrate would dig themselves sheltering caves in the hills -- like badgers . These temporary dwellings could be abandoned if a prospect proved fruitless , without much regret ; and if