brown thrasher - public domain photo by Ken Thomas on Wikipedia
Georgia's governor first proclaimed the brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) as the state bird in 1935, and it was finally recognized by the Geogia legislature as the official state bird in 1970 (at the request of the Garden Clubs of Georgia).
The brown thrasher is a large bird (almost a foot in length) with a long, curved bill and a very long tail. It has two prominent white wing bars, a rich brown color on its top side, and a creamy white breast heavily streaked with brown.