The Bald Eagle Perfectly Embodies America’s Flaws

The Bald Eagle’s Selection as National Symbol Reflects Historical and Cultural Associations

The bald eagle has served as an official emblem of the United States since its inclusion on the Great Seal in 1782. Congress designated it the national bird in 2024 through legislation signed by President Joe Biden. The choice drew on longstanding associations with the species in both Native American traditions and classical symbolism, where observers have linked the bird to attributes such as strength and long-distance vision. The 2024 measure passed with unanimous support in both chambers.

Natural history accounts describe the bald eagle as a large raptor whose diet consists primarily of fish. Individuals often obtain prey by scavenging carcasses or by taking fish from other birds, a behavior known as kleptoparasitism. Ornithologists have documented that bald eagles also consume waterfowl, small mammals, and carrion when available. Their vocalizations consist of a series of high-pitched chirps and whistles rather than the sustained scream frequently reproduced in media and public events.

Benjamin Franklin recorded reservations about the bald eagle in a 1784 letter. He noted that the species sometimes feeds on fish already caught by other birds and described it as lacking the industry he associated with other species. Franklin contrasted this with the wild turkey, which he regarded as more respectable in its habits. Early naturalist William Bartram likewise recorded critical observations of the eagle’s feeding methods in his published journals from the late eighteenth century.

Federal and state records show that bald eagle populations declined sharply during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ranchers and hunters in western states reported losses of livestock and game and responded with trapping, shooting, and poisoning. By the 1930s, several publications documented reduced numbers across much of the lower forty-eight states. During World War II, some state and federal agencies began to discourage killing of the species on grounds that it appeared on the national seal.

Mid-century monitoring linked further declines to the pesticide DDT. The compound produced eggshells too thin to support incubation, resulting in widespread nest failures. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife agencies recorded low productivity in remaining populations through the 1960s. Following the 1972 nationwide ban on DDT for most uses, eggshell thickness improved in subsequent breeding seasons. Recovery programs transferred eaglets from Alaska and other source populations to former range states. By 2007 the species had been removed from the endangered-species list in the contiguous United States after population counts showed consistent increases.

The bald eagle appeared on the Great Seal adopted by Congress in 1782. Designers selected the bird after considering several alternatives, citing its native range across North America and its prior use in Indigenous iconography and European heraldry. Contemporary accounts noted that the seal’s eagle holds an olive branch and arrows, elements intended to represent both peace and defense. The design received formal approval without recorded dissent at the time.

In 2024, legislation introduced in the House and Senate proposed formal recognition of the bald eagle as the national bird. Sponsors cited the species’ continuous presence on federal insignia since 1782 and its appearance in state flags and military insignia. The bill advanced through committee and passed both chambers by voice vote. President Biden signed the measure on December 23, 2024.

Indigenous nations across the continent have maintained distinct traditions involving the bald eagle. Oral histories and ethnographic records describe the bird in connection with ceremonies, regalia, and observations of flight patterns. Some accounts associate the species with messages between earth and sky or with qualities such as vigilance. These interpretations vary by community and predate European settlement by centuries.

Public viewing sites have developed around consistent eagle concentrations. In Wabasha, Minnesota, winter congregations along the Mississippi River have drawn visitors since the 1980s. Local volunteers established the National Eagle Center in 1989 to provide information on migration, nesting requirements, and historical uses of the species. The center maintains records of banded birds and participates in annual surveys coordinated with state wildlife agencies.

Population data compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that bald eagle numbers in the lower forty-eight states rose from fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the early 1960s to more than 10,000 pairs by the mid-2010s. Alaska maintains a separate resident population estimated in the tens of thousands. Monitoring continues through nest checks, aerial surveys, and satellite telemetry.

The 2024 national-bird designation occurred against a backdrop of earlier symbolic uses. The species has appeared on currency, postage stamps, and military unit insignia throughout the twentieth century. Federal law already protected the bird under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, which prohibits most forms of take without permit.

Ornithological literature distinguishes the bald eagle’s actual foraging strategies from earlier moral interpretations. Modern field studies emphasize energetic efficiency: scavenging and piracy reduce the time and risk associated with active hunting. These behaviors occur across many raptor species and are documented through direct observation and stable-isotope analysis of diet.

The legislation signed in 2024 did not alter existing protections or management practices. It added a statutory title without changing the regulatory framework administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Congressional records show that supporters referenced both the 1782 seal decision and the species’ recovery from mid-century lows as reasons for formal recognition.

Archival materials from the Continental Congress indicate that the eagle was one of several natural motifs considered for the seal. Committee members reviewed designs incorporating the bird alongside rattlesnakes and other American fauna before settling on the final version. The chosen design has remained in use, with minor artistic refinements, for more than two centuries.