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Alabama Fun Facts

Few People Know The Real Reason Why Alabama Is Nicknamed The Yellowhammer State

By Jennifer Young | Published April 13, 2023

There are many things Alabama is well known for, including delicious food, beautiful beaches, stunning waterfalls, and so much more. The state even sometimes goes by a different name, such as “The Yellowhammer State.” To learn how Alabama got this nickname, take a look below.

To many people, Alabama is simply known as "Alabama the Beautiful." However, it has other nicknames as well, including...

..."The Heart of Dixie," "The Cotton State," and "The Yellowhammer State." Interestingly, not many people know exactly how its nickname "The Yellowhammer State" came about.

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The story is quite interesting. During the Civil War, a group of Huntsville soldiers' brand new uniforms had brightly colored pieces of yellow cloth on the trim. As the war was taking place, one of the soldiers joked around and yelled out “Yellowhammer, Yellowhammer, flicker, flicker!” to the Huntsville soldiers. The name stuck and after that, Alabamian Confederate soldiers were unofficially known as “Yellowhammers” no matter where they were from.

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So, what does the color "yellow" have to do with anything? Alabama's state bird is the Northern Flicker, which is often referred to as the Yellowhammer. The reason why this bird is referred to as the Yellowhammer is because the undersides of its tail and...

...wings are bright yellow in color.

It also hammers. This makes perfect sense considering the Yellowhammer is a type of woodpecker.

Over the years in Alabama, there have even been a variety of businesses, events, etc. named after the Yellowhammer. It's incredible how a soldier's simple phrase over a century ago made such an impact on the state and continues to do so today.

Did you already know the reason why Alabama is nicknamed “The Yellowhammer State?” Let us know in the comments below.

You can also keep enjoying other fun facts about Alabama!

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