Almost every American assumes the bald eagle has been our national bird since the founding. It is on the quarter, the passport, the dollar bill, and the back of the presidential seal. So here is the twist most people never hear: the bald eagle did not officially become the national bird of the United States until December 2024. It was the national emblem for 242 years before Congress finally made the title official. Here is the real story of how a white-headed raptor became the face of America, and why June 20 is the day to celebrate it.
The Short Answer
The bald eagle was chosen as the centerpiece of the Great Seal of the United States on June 20, 1782. That is the date the Second Continental Congress approved the seal after six years of arguing over what should represent the new nation. The eagle won because it stood for strength, long life, and freedom, and because it lives only in North America.
For most of American history people called it the national bird out of habit, but no law actually said so. That changed on December 24, 2024, when a bill making the bald eagle the official national bird was signed into law. June 20 is now celebrated every year as American Eagle Day.
★ Bald Eagle Quick Facts
| Joined the Great Seal | June 20, 1782 |
| Official national bird | December 24, 2024 |
| Why it was chosen | Native only to North America |
| Celebrated on | American Eagle Day, June 20 |
Why the Founders Chose the Bald Eagle
Picking a national symbol took longer than you might think. The Continental Congress appointed its first committee to design a seal on July 4, 1776, the same day it adopted the Declaration of Independence. That first group included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, and they got nowhere. Two more committees came and went.
Six years and three committees later, Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress, pulled the best ideas together and put a bald eagle at the center. He chose the American bald eagle specifically because it is native to this continent and nowhere else. The eagle was already an old symbol of power, used by Rome and other empires, but Thomson wanted a version of it that belonged to America alone. The bird he picked holds the whole meaning of the country in its talons.
What the Eagle on the Great Seal Actually Means
Look closely at the eagle on the Great Seal and almost nothing is there by accident. The eagle clutches a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon and an olive branch with 13 leaves and 13 olives in its right. The arrows stand for the power to make war. The olive branch stands for peace. The head turns toward the olive branch on purpose, a sign that the nation prefers peace but is ready to defend itself.
Above its head float 13 stars breaking through a cloud, and in its beak is a banner reading E Pluribus Unum, Latin for out of many, one. The number 13 repeats everywhere because of the 13 original colonies.
That shield on the eagle's chest stands without any support, a reminder that the states were meant to rely on their own strength rather than lean on a single ruler. If you want to carry that symbol with you, our American Eagle Crest Tee puts the whole crest front and center.
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The Benjamin Franklin Turkey Myth
You have probably heard that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. It is a great story and it is mostly wrong. Franklin never made a formal proposal for the turkey. The whole idea comes from a private letter he wrote to his daughter in 1784, two years after the eagle was already chosen.
In that letter he joked that the eagle is a bird of bad moral character because it steals food from other birds, and he called the turkey a more respectable bird and a true native of America. He was poking fun, not lobbying Congress. The turkey was never on the table. The myth survives because it is funny and because people love the idea of the founders bickering over a bird.
It Only Became Official in 2024
Here is the part that surprises even history buffs. For 242 years the bald eagle was the national emblem, the national symbol, and the bird on nearly every federal seal, but it was never legally named the national bird. Congress fixed that at the very end of 2024.
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2024 The year the bald eagle officially became the U.S. national bird, 242 years after it first landed on the Great Seal. |
A group of advocates from Minnesota, which has one of the largest bald eagle populations in the country, pushed a bill through both houses. It was signed into law on December 24, 2024, officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the United States. The eagle is now the only animal to be both the national emblem and the national bird, a title it earned more than two centuries after it first spread its wings on the seal.
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Bald Eagle Facts That Surprise People
The bald eagle is not actually bald. The name comes from an old word, piebald, which means marked with white. Young bald eagles are brown all over and do not grow their famous white head and tail until they are about five years old. Their wingspan can reach more than seven feet, and they can spot a fish in the water from a mile away.
The most American thing about the bird might be its comeback. By the 1960s, the pesticide DDT had thinned eagle eggshells so badly that the population crashed to around 400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. The bird that symbolizes the country was nearly wiped out. After DDT was banned and the bird was protected, the population roared back to more than 71,000 nesting pairs. The bald eagle came off the endangered species list in 2007. It is a genuine American comeback story.
How to Celebrate American Eagle Day
American Eagle Day lands on June 20, the anniversary of the day the eagle joined the Great Seal in 1782. There is no wrong way to mark it. Fly your flag. Read up on the Great Seal with your kids. Visit a local wildlife refuge where eagles nest, since most states now have them again. If you want to wear the bird, this is the week to do it. A clean eagle design says everything without a single word of explanation.
Common Myths About the National Bird
MYTH 01
The eagle was always the official national bird
It was the national emblem from 1782, but it did not legally become the national bird until December 24, 2024. The title is newer than your smartphone.
MYTH 02
Franklin fought to make the turkey the national bird
He cracked a joke in a private letter two years after the eagle was chosen. There was never a real vote between an eagle and a turkey.
MYTH 03
A brown eagle is a different species
Bald eagles are brown until about age five, when the white head and tail finally come in. That young bird is the same eagle, just not grown up yet.
MYTH 04
The eagle is a symbol of war
The head faces the olive branch, not the arrows. The design was meant to show a country that wants peace first and keeps its defenses ready.
Once you know what every piece of the design means, the eagle stops being background decoration on the back of a coin. It turns into a short summary of what the country was trying to be. Here are the questions people ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the bald eagle become the national bird?
The bald eagle was chosen for the Great Seal on June 20, 1782, but it only became the legally official national bird of the United States on December 24, 2024, when the designation was signed into law.
Why was the bald eagle chosen as a national symbol?
Charles Thomson and Congress picked it because it stands for strength, long life, and freedom, and because the bald eagle lives only in North America. It gave the new country a symbol that was entirely its own.
Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the national bird?
No. Franklin joked about the turkey in a private 1784 letter to his daughter, two years after the eagle was already chosen. He never made a formal proposal, and the turkey was never actually considered.
What do the arrows and olive branch in the eagle's talons mean?
The 13 arrows stand for the power to wage war and the olive branch stands for peace. There are 13 of each for the original colonies. The eagle faces the olive branch to show the nation prefers peace.
Why is the bald eagle called bald if it has feathers?
The word comes from piebald, an old term for white markings. The eagle's head is covered in white feathers, not bare skin. Young eagles are brown and get their white heads around age five.
What is American Eagle Day?
American Eagle Day is celebrated every June 20, the anniversary of the bald eagle joining the Great Seal in 1782. It honors the bird and the recovery of its population across the country.
Want more on the symbols that built this country? Read what the colors of the American flag really mean, trace the history of the American flag from 13 stars to 50, brush up on the complete U.S. Flag Code, and learn the story behind the Pledge of Allegiance.
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