Bald Eagle Officially Named America’s National Bird After 250 Years: Everything You Want to Know

It has stood tall and strong with its wings spread for nearly 250 long years, appearing on official documents, presidential flags, the mace of the House of Representatives, the military.
badges and billions of dollar bills since 1782. The bald eagle finally got its due – an official status of national bird of the United Statesafter President Joe Biden signed legislation on Christmas Eve after Congress passed the bill last week.
The white-headed, yellow-billed bird has long been recognized as a majestic, soaring symbol, and even before this formal recognition it was unofficially the national bird of the United States. It has long been considered a symbol of strength, courage, freedom and immortality for generations, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“For nearly 250 years, we called the bald eagle the national bird when that was not the case,” Jack Davis, co-chair of the National Eagle Center’s National Bird Initiative, said in a statement. “But now the title is official and no bird deserves it more.”
The bill, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Brad Finstad, both of Minnesota, presents the bald eagle as “a historic symbol of the United States, representing independence, strength and freedom.”

The story of the bald eagle

The bald eagle first appeared as an American symbol on a Massachusetts copper cent invented in 1776. Since then, it has appeared on the reverse of many American coins, including the silver dollar, the half dollar and the quarter, as well as the gold coins which were named the eagle, the half eagle, the quarter eagle and the double eagle.
For six years, Congress engaged in heated debate over the national emblem before finally choosing the bald eagle in 1789 to represent the new nation. However, one of the most vocal opponents of this choice was Benjamin Franklin, who criticized the bald eagle in a letter, describing it as a bird of “bad character” that survives by “sharpening and flying” and missing of respectability.
Franklin argued that the turkey, truly native to America, would have been a more appropriate symbol. Despite his objections, many members of Congress were in favor of the bald eagle, considering it a long-lived animal. symbol of strengthcourage, freedom and immortality. Its status as a species native exclusively to North America has further strengthened its selection as an emblem of the United States.
The bird has infiltrated culture over time and found its way into sports teams, American clothing brands, films and patriotic song lyrics. The Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon was associated with the bird when astronaut Neil Armstrong said, “The eagle has landed.”
The bald eagle will join the league of the bison, national mammal (recognized in 2016) and the oak, national tree since 2004.

An endangered species

The bald eagle was considered a endangered species in the United States, but good efforts allowed it to be removed from the endangered species list in 2007. In 1940, it became illegal to kill, sell or possess a bald eagle, and this ban continues to this day.
Thanks to endangered species laws and labeling, as well as the banning of DDT in 1972, bald eagle populations thrived.
Bald eagles are found in North America and are most populous in Alaska, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
(Photo provided by: iStock)