Bird or Bird-Like College Nicknames

The information presented here was compiled exclusively from Adam Joshua Smargon’s exhaustive College Nicknames Web site. At least 236 4-year colleges in the United States of America have adopted 63 different bird or bird-like nicknames. Not too surprisingly, predatory birds are particularly popular as nicknames. Thus, the six most popular nicknames are (in decreasing): Eagles (56 colleges), Falcons (22), Cardinals (17), Hawks (16), Golden Eagles (15), and Owls (14). Thirty-nine colleges have unique nicknames (i.e., they are shared with no other college). My personal favorite: the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia). I have located working Web sites for all colleges listed except for those marked with an asterisk (*). The list:

BALD EAGLES (1):
Loch Haven University (Loch Haven, Pennsylvania)

BANTAMS (2):
Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut)
University of South Carolina - Union (Union, South Carolina)

BLACKBIRDS (1):
Long Island University - Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York)

BLUE HAWKS (1):
Dickinson State University (Dickinson, North Dakota)

BLUE HENS (1):
University of Delaware (Newark, Delaware)

BLUE JAYS (5):
Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)
Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland)
Polytechnic University (Brooklyn, New York)
Saint Joseph College (West Hartford, Connecticut)
Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri)

BLUEJAYS (3):
Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska)
Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Illinois)
Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas)

CARDINAL (1):
Stanford University (Palo Alto, California)

CARDINALS (17):
Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)
Catholic University (Washington, District of Columbia)
Condordia University (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
East Coast Bible College (Charlotte, North Carolina)*
Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas)
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (Boston, Massachusetts)
North Central College (Naperville, Illinois)
Otterbein College (Westerville, Ohio)
Saginaw Valley State University (University Center, Michigan)
St. John Fisher College (Rochester, New York)
St. Mary’s University of Minnesota (Winona, Minnesota)
State University of New York - Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, New York)
University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut)
Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, West Virginia)
William Jewell College (Liberty, Missouri)
York College - City University of New York (Jamaica, New York)

CRIMSON EAGLES (1):
Philadelphia Biblical University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

DUCKS (2):
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, New Jersey)
University of Oregon (Eugene, Oregon)

DUHAWKS (1):
Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa)

EAGLES (56):
Alice Lloyde College (Pippa Passes, Kentucky)
American University (Washington, District of Columbia)
Asbury College (Wilmore, Kentucky)
Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio)
Avila College (Kansas City, Missouri)
Bartlesville Wesleyan College (Bartlesville, Oklahoma)
Benedictine University (Lisle, Illinois)
Biola University (La Mirada, California)
Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)
Bridgewater College (Bridgewater, Virginia)
Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, Tennessee)
Central Methodist College (Fayette, Missouri)
Chadron State College (Chadron, Nebraska)
College of St. Elizabeth (Morristown, New Jersey)
Condordia University (Irvine, California)
Coppin State University (Baltimore, Maryland)
Daniel Webster College (Nashua, New Hampshire)
Eastern College (St. Davids, Pennsylvania)
Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, Michigan)
Eastern Washington University (Cheney, Washington)
Edgewood College (Madison, Wisconsin)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott, Arizona)
Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia)
Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary (Ankeny, Iowa)
Faulkner University (Montgomery, Alabama)
Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, Florida)
Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Georgia)
Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vermont)
Jimmy Swaggart Bible College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)*
Judson College (Elgin, Illinois)
Judson College (Marion, Alabama)
Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pennsylvania)
Lambuth University (Jackson, Tennessee)
Mary Washington University (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
Messenger College (Joplin, Missouri)
Midway College (Midway, Kentucky)
Morehead State University (Morehead, Kentucky)
National-Louis University (Evanston, Illinois)
North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina)
Northwest College (Kirkland, Washington)
Northwestern College (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Oklahoma Christian University (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Pensacola Christian College (Pensacola, Florida)
Robert Morris College (Chicago, Illinois)
St. Mary’s (Orchard Lake, Michigan)*
Sierra Nevada College (Incline Village, Nevada)
Southwestern Baptist Bible College (Phoenix, Arizona)
Teikyo-Post University (Waterbury, Connecticut)
Toccoa Falls College (Toccoa Falls, Georgia)
Trinity Baptist College (Jacksonville, Florida)
University of North Texas (Denton, Texas)
University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, Arkansas)
University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse (LaCrosse, Wisconsin)
Williams Baptist College (Walnut Ridge, Arkansas)
Winthrop University (Rock Hill, South Carolina)

FALCONS (22):
Air Force Institute of Technology (Dayton, Ohio)
Albertus Magnus College (New Haven, Connecticut)
Arizona College of the Bible (Phoenix, Arizona)*
Bentley College (Waltham, Massachusetts)
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Concordia University (Mequon, Wisconsin)
Detroit College of Business (Detroit, Michigan)
Fairmont State College (Fairmont, West Virginia)
Fitchburg State College (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
Florida College (Temple Terrace, Florida)
Friends University (Wichita, Kansas)
Messiah College (Grantham, Pennsylvania)
Notre Dame College of Ohio (South Euclid, Ohio)
Parks College of St. Louis University (Cahokia, Illinois)*
Pfeiffer College (Misenheimer, North Carolina)
St. Augustine’s (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Seattle Pacific University (Seattle, Washington)
Summit Christian College (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
University of Montevallo (Montevallo, Alabama)
University of Texas of the Permian Basin (Odessa, Texas)
University of Wisconsin - River Falls (River Falls, Wisconsin)

FIREBIRDS (1):
University of the District of Columbia (Washington, District of Columbia)

GAMECOCKS (2):
Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville, Alabama)
University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina)

GOBBLERS (1):
Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University (Blacksburg, Virginia)

GOLDEN EAGLES (15):
California State University - Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Clarion University (Clarion, Pennsylvania)
Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
John Brown University (Siloam Springs, Arkansas)
La Sierra University (Riverside, California)
Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, Illinois)
Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
State University of New York - College at Brockport (Brockport, New York)
St. Joseph’s College - Suffolk Campus (Patchogue, New York)
Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, Tennessee)
University of Charleston (Charleston, West Virginia)
University of Minnesota - Crookston (Crookston, Minnesota)
University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)

GOLDEN GRIFFINS (1):
Canisius College (Buffalo, New York)

GRIFFINS (5):
Fontbonne College (St. Louis, Missouri)
Golden Gate University (San Francisco, California)
Gwynedd-Mercy College (Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania)
Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island)
Reed College (Portland, Oregon)

GRIFFONS (1):
Missouri Western State College (Saint Joseph, Missouri)

HARRIERS (1):
Miami University - Hamilton (Hamilton, Ohio)

HAWKEYES (1):
University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa)

HAWKS (16):
Christian Heritage College (El Cajon, California)
Hartwick College (Oneonta, New York)
Hilbert College (Hamburg, New York)
Holy Names College (Oakland, California)
Hunter College - City University of New York (New York, New York)
Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama)
Monmouth University (Monmouth, New Jersey)
Quincy University (Quincy, Illinois)
Rockhurst College (Kansas City, Missouri)
Roger Williams University (Bristol, Rhode Island)
Saint Anselm College (Manchester, New Hampshire)
Saint Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Shorter College (Rome, Georgia)
State University of New York - College at New Paltz (New Paltz, New York)
University of Hartford (Hartford, Connecticut)
University of Maryland - Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland)

HERONS (1):
William Smith College (Geneva, New York)

HUSTLIN’ OWLS (1):
Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Fall, Oregon)

JAYHAWKS (1):
University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas)

KOHAWKS (1):
Coe College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

LARKS (1):
Hesston College (Hesston, Kansas)

MARAUDING EAGLES (1):
Marycrest International University (Davenport, Iowa)

MEAN GREEN EAGLES:
University of North Texas (Denton, Texas) [also known as Eagles]

MOHAWKS (1):
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (North Adams, Massachusetts)

MOUNTAIN HAWKS (1):
Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)

NIGHTHAWKS (1):
Thomas College (Thomasville, Georgia)

OSPREYS (2):
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (Pomona, New Jersey)
University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Florida)

OWLS (14):
Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)
Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida)
Hellenic College (Brookline, Massachusetts)
Keene State College (Keene, New Hampshire)
Kennesaw State University (Marietta, Georgia)
Rice University (Houston, Texas)
Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Connecticut)
Tampa College (Tampa, Florida)*
Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
University of Maine - Presque Isle (Presque Isle, Maine)
Warren-Wilson College (Swannanoa, North Carolina)
Westfield State College (Westfield, Massachusetts)
Widener University (Wilmington, Delaware)
William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri)

PEACOCKS (2):
St. Peter’s College (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Upper Iowa University (Fayette, Iowa)

PELICANS (1):
Spaulding University (Louisville, Kentuckey)

PENGUINS (3):
Clark College (Vancouver, Washington)
Dominican College of San Rafael (San Rafael, California)
Youngstown State University (Youngstown, Ohio)

PHOENIX:
Elon College (Elon College, North Carolina)
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Wilson College (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)

POWER GULLS (1):
Endicott College (Beverly, Massachusetts)

PURPLE EAGLES (1):
Niagara University (Niagara University, New York)

RAPTORS (1):
Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York)

RAVENS (5):
Anderson University (Anderson, Indiana)
Benedictine College (Atchison, Kansas)
Franklin Pierce College (Rindge, New Hampshire)
San Jacinto College - Central (Pasadena, Texas)
St. Meinrad College (St. Meinrad, Indiana)

REDBIRDS (1):
Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois)

REDHAWKS (3):
Indiana University - Northwest (Gary, Indiana)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
Seattle University (Seattle, Washington)

RED HAWKS (3):
LaRoche College (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Montclair State University (Upper Montclair, New Jersey)
Ripon College (Ripon, Wisconsin)

RIVER HAWKS (1):
University of Massachusetts - Lowell (Lowell, Massachusetts)

ROADRUNNERS (6):
California State University - Bakersfield (Bakersfield, California)
Dalton State College (Dalton, Georgia)
Metropolitan State College of Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Ramapo College (Mahwah, New Jersey)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)
University of Texas - San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)

RUNNING EAGLES (1):
Life University (Marietta, Georgia)

SAGEHENS (1):
Pomona College and Pitzer College [joint team] (Claremont, California)

SCARLET HAWKS (1):
Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)

SCARLET RAPTORS (1):
Rutgers University - Camden (Camden, New Jersey)

SCREAMING EAGLES (2):
SiTanka Huron University (Huron, South Dakota)
University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Indiana)

SEA GULLS (1):
Salisbury University (Salisbury, Maryland)

SEAHAWKS (5):
Northwood University (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Salve Regina University (Newport, Rhode Island)
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, Maryland)
University of North Carolina - Wilmington (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Wagner College (Staten Island, New York)

SKYHAWKS (2):
Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado)
University of Tennessee - Martin (Martin, Tennessee)

SOARING EAGLES (1):
Elmira College (Elmira, New York)

STORMY PETRELS (1):
Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia)

SUNBIRDS (1):
Fresno Pacific University (Fresno, California)

THUNDERBIRDS (2):
Cascade College (Portland, Oregon)
Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah)

THUNDERHAWKS (1):
Miami University - Middletown (Middletown, Ohio)

V-HAWKS (1):
Viterbo College (LaCrosse, Wisconsin)

WARHAWKS (1):
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater (Whitewater, Wisconsin)