The bald eagle officially became the symbol of the U.S. after centuries of being recognized as one.
The bald eagle’s flight to becoming the official national bird ended when former President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan bill into law on Dec. 24, 2024.
The bill, introduced in the senate in June 2024, passed unanimously through the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as Minnesota legislators Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL-Minn.), Sen. Tina Smith (DFL-Minn.) and Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) introduced the bill in their respective chambers.
Smith said Minnesota has the second-highest population of bald eagles in the U.S. and thrives here due to the state’s lakes and forests.
“The bald eagle has been a universally recognizable symbol of patriotism in this country for centuries, but that wasn’t made official until President Biden signed it into law,” Smith said. “I was glad to be part of the bipartisan effort to finally designate the bald eagle as the official bird of the United States.”
Preston Cook, the eagle enthusiast who advocated for its recognition, said he was looking for an entry of when the bald eagle was designated but could only find the great seal passed in a 1782 meeting.
“Everybody thought it was our national bird. It was just one of those things, a little mission that happened with our national bird and it’s taken time to do this,” Cook said. “It’s just like the bison is now our national mammal, which didn’t happen until 2016, even though it has been this icon of America for all these years.”
Cook, a Minnesota resident, presented the bill to Finstad and Klobuchar. After some redrafting, both introduced it in the U.S. House and Senate.
While the bald eagle is native to North America, the eagle has been a solid presence throughout military history, University of Minnesota Army ROTC instructor Lieutenant Colonel John Nguyen said. Some nations that have used the symbol include the Egyptians, Romans, Germans and the French.
“(The eagle) is high above everything else. It’s got vision, prominence, and that’s why Romans put that eagle on top of their standards, or marching poles,” Nguyen said.
The U.S. seal shows an eagle holding both an olive branch and arrows in each claw. Nguyen said it shows the “duality of power.”
“I think we should associate (the eagle) with confidence and with righteousness and for me to see the eagle on the Great Seal (with) the olive branch and arrows, it is the confidence to discern when you need to use arrows or when you need to extend peace,” Nguyen said.
In the U.S., there are over 1,000 occupied nesting areas, with more than 30 in the Twin Cities alone, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Instagram. This has not always been the case, as eagles were once on the brink of extinction.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits anyone from “taking” bald and golden eagles, including all parts of the eagle, nests or eggs without a permit issued by the secretary of the interior.
Raptor Center Interim Director Lori Arent said even with conservation efforts, bald eagles continue to be harmed by lead and toxins in the atmosphere. Arent added that if an eagle ingests even a rice grain-sized amount of lead, it can cause serious health problems.
Ways to protect bald eagles include avoiding tree work in the area of nests, sharing awareness and replacing lead bullets with other types of ammunition, Arent said.
“Eagles represent strength and freedom. They were almost extinct but bounced back,” Arent said. “If we continue to take stories and spread awareness, then people will continue to protect them.”
