A bill to officially designate the bald eagle as the national bird will head to President Biden’s desk after passage in the House on Monday.
While the bald eagle has been a major national symbol since the Second Continental Congress in 1782 put the bird on the Great Seal of the United States, it has never been specifically designated as the national bird under U.S. law.
But that would change with enactment of the bill that passed the House by voice vote on Monday.
“The bald has long been associated with and a symbol of the United States. … The bald eagle appears on the flags and insignia of our military, on passports and currency. It appears on the flags of several states as well,” Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) said on the House floor on Monday, speaking in support of the bill. “The bald eagle is also important to Native American tribes across the United States. It plays a key role in sacred belief systems and traditions, stories, ceremonies, and insignias.”
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) said that in addition to the national significance, the bald eagle is a “cherished” symbol for which “football fans in my district share a special affection,” in reference to the Eagles NFL team.
The same chapter of U.S. law that would enshrine the bald eagle as the national bird also designates “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem; “In God we trust” as the national motto; the rose as the national floral emblem; “The Stars and Stripes Forever” as the national march; and the oak tree as the national tree. Congress has also designated the bison as the national mammal.
The bill was first introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in June, and it passed the Senate by unanimous consent at the end of July. Reps. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) led the effort in the House.
The effort to enshrine the bald eagle’s national bird status was led by the Minnesota-based National Eagle Center, and the co-chair of its national bird initiative, Preston Cook.
“While most people assume the Bald Eagle is our nation’s official bird, the fact is our country doesn’t have an official bird,” Cook said in a statement when the bill was introduced in June. “The bison is the national mammal, the rose is the national flower, and the oak is the national tree. It’s time the Bald Eagle, long revered as our national symbol, finds its rightful place as our country’s official national bird.”
Bald eagles are also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibit killing, selling or harming bald eagles, their nests or their eggs.
Previously on the endangered species lists, bald eagles have seen a “remarkable population rebound” in the last few decades, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
