Biden signed the historic bill.
The bald eagle has officially been designated as the national bird of the United States after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law. Despite its prominent role as a symbol of American identity and its presence on the Great Seal of the United States, the bird had never been formally recognized in U.S. law. Congress unanimously passed the legislation to correct this historical oversight.
The Great Seal, featuring a bald eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, was approved in 1782. While Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson worked on creating a seal, they couldn’t agree on a final design. It was Secretary of the Continental Congress Charles Thomson who proposed the eagle design that has since become iconic. However, Franklin was a vocal critic of the choice, once writing that he believed the eagle had questionable moral character.
For nearly 250 years, the bald eagle served as a national emblem without official designation. Preston Cook, a Minnesota resident with a lifelong fascination with the bird, discovered this gap and decided to take action. He drafted a simple bill declaring the bald eagle as the national bird and shared it with lawmakers. Cook described the effort as a way to address an overlooked piece of history.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota led the bipartisan effort to introduce the legislation in the Senate, where it passed unanimously in July. The bill then moved swiftly through the House, also with no opposition. Cook emphasized that the change required no alterations to existing traditions or practices; it simply ensured the bald eagle’s rightful place in U.S. law.
This recognition cements the bald eagle’s status as a national symbol, celebrating its long-standing association with the country. The new legislation honors the eagle’s role in American heritage and corrects a historical omission, fulfilling what many, including Cook, viewed as a necessary step in preserving the nation’s identity.
