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The bald eagle could soon become the national bird of the United States after a bill backed by Minnesota legislators passed the U.S. House on Monday. The bill earlier passed the Senate, and now awaits the signature of President Joe Biden.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the bald eagle already held the title of national bird. The bald eagle is on the national seal and has been a symbol of the U.S. since the country’s founding. But the U.S. has not had an official national bird. 

Minnesota lawmakers introduced a bill to change that. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith helped lead the bill in the Senate, where it passed with bipartisan support in July.

“The bald eagle is a symbol of our country’s freedom and strength,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “With the passage of our legislation, the bald eagle will now officially be recognized as our nation’s national bird.”

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Minnesota U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad introduced the House version of the bill; the rest of the Minnesota delegation signed on as cosponsors.

“More than 240 years ago, the Founding Fathers identified the bald eagle as a symbol of the strength and independence promised in our new nation,” Finstad said in a statement following the bill’s passage on Monday. “Today, we rightfully recognize the bald eagle as our official national bird — bestowing an honor that is long overdue.”

Ed Hahn is the communications director at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. He said many visitors are confused when he tells them that the eagle is not, in fact, the national bird.

“They’d be like, ‘What are you talking about? You’re crazy. You’re nuts,’ ” Hahn said. “It was so ingrained in American culture that it was just assumed that the bald eagle is the national bird.”

Hahn learned that the eagle is not officially the national bird from Preston Cook, an eagle aficionado and champion of the bill. He displays part of his 

Cook wrote a book on eagles, and, as part of his research, he dug into archives to see if it had ever been officially named the national bird. The U.S. recognizes symbols including a national flower (the rose) and a national tree (the oak), but never had a national bird.

“It will be a historical oversight that is rectified,” Hahn said.

Cook had been in touch with legislators for several years, asking them to give the eagle this recognition.

“This is an exciting day,” Cook said in a statement following the House vote. “With this legislation, we honor its historic role and solidify its place as our national bird and an emblem of our national identity.”

Legislators said Minnesota was a logical source of support for the bill — the state has the second-highest number of bald eagles, behind only Alaska. 

Hahn said he hopes giving the bald eagle an extra title helps solidify its storied history — as both a national symbol and a highly successful conservation effort that brought the species back from the brink of extinction in the 20th century.

“When we look at some of the issues that are facing other natural resources today, we can look again at our living national symbol and now our official national bird,” Hahn said. “It shows what we are able and willing to do when we truly value something, when it’s important to us.”

Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Author

The bald eagle could soon become the national bird of the United States after a bill backed by Minnesota legislators passed the U.S. House and Senate.

Minnesota-backed bill to make bald eagles the national bird heads to Biden’s desk

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