Oklahoma State Symbols

Oklahoma state symbols: official state symbols include the scissor-tailed flycatcher, redbud, bison, shield flag, and Labor Omnia Vincit motto.

Abbreviation

Oklahoma City

Capital

1907

Statehood

Symbols

Overview

The scissor-tailed flycatcher and redbud are Oklahoma's most recognizable official state symbols — both tied to the prairie and woodland edges that define the state's landscape. The bison, shield flag with Indigenous symbolism, Labor Omnia Vincit motto, and Acrocanthosaurus fossil round out a list where plains ecology and Native American heritage are inseparable.

Best-known symbol Oklahoma State Flag

Oldest in this guide Labor Omnia Vincit, 1907

State animal American Bison

Oklahoma State Symbols — Complete List

Category	Official Symbol	Adopted
State Flag	Oklahoma State Flag	1925
State Bird	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus	1951
State Flower	Oklahoma Rose Rosa oklahomensis	2004
State Tree	Redbud Cercis canadensis	1937
State Motto	Labor Omnia Vincit Latin	1907
State Nickname	The Sooner State	—
State Animal	American bison Bison bison	1972
State Flying Mammal	Mexican free-tailed bat Tadarida brasiliensis	2006
State Furbearer	Raccoon Procyon lotor	1989
State Game Animal	White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus	1990
State Beverage	Milk	2002
State Colors	Green and White	1915
State Dinosaur	Acrocanthosaurus Acrocanthosaurus atokensis	2006
License Plate Slogan	Imagine That	2024
State Seal	Great Seal of Oklahoma	1907

What Does Oklahoma Mean?

Oklahoma reached statehood in 1907 after its territorial period. The name comes from Choctaw words often translated as red people.

That name matters because Oklahoma's symbols cannot be read only as prairie scenery. The flag's shield imagery, the state colors, and the Sooner nickname all sit inside a larger history of Native nations, settlement, land runs, and statehood.

Oklahoma's postal abbreviation is OK, and residents are Oklahomans. The Sooner State is the best-known nickname, even though it carries a complicated land-run origin.

Key Meaning and Background

Origin: From Choctaw words commonly translated as red people.
Statehood: Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907.
Motto: Labor Omnia Vincit means Labor Conquers All Things.

Usage Examples and Context

State: Refers to Oklahoma, a Southern Plains state with deep Native, ranching, oil, and agricultural histories.
Name history: The name was used for the territory before statehood and became the state name in 1907.
People: People from Oklahoma are called Oklahomans.

Nicknames and Short Forms

The Sooner State: Oklahoma's best-known nickname, tied to land-run history and state identity.
OK: Postal abbreviation and common short form.
Abbreviation: OK; older short form Okla.

Newest and Oldest Symbols

Oldest listed Labor Omnia Vincit, 1907

Older symbols tend to anchor the state's public identity: flag, bird, flower, motto, or nickname.

Newest listed Imagine That (2024), Acrocanthosaurus (2006)

Recent designations often show how states keep adding wildlife, foods, breeds, and cultural traditions.

What Oklahoma's Symbols Say About the State

Oklahoma's state flag is the strongest organizing symbol here. Its shield design gives the page a different center of gravity than seal-on-blue flags.

The American bison, scissor-tailed flycatcher, and redbud pull the guide toward plains and woodland edges rather than a single farm-state image.

The animal pages make Oklahoma unusually layered: bison for plains power, Mexican free-tailed bat for cave and colony ecology, white-tailed deer for hunting culture, and Acrocanthosaurus atokensis for deep time.