Who Knew? The Bald Eagle, Symbol Of Freedom, Isn’t The Official National Bird

You may not know that while the bald eagle has been adopted as America’s symbol of liberty and freedom since the 1780s, it’s not the official national bird. Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill Thursday to finally make it official.

For many, the majestic sight of a bald eagle soaring overhead evokes a sense of patriotism and freedom that’s at the heart of being an American.

What most of those people probably don’t know is that while the bald eagle has widely been adopted as the symbol of America going back to the 1780s, it’s not the official national bird.

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis wants to change that with new legislation she introduced Thursday designating the bald eagle as the official bird of the United States. There now is no national bird — officially.

“There is nothing more American than a bald eagle soaring across the Wyoming sky,” Lummis said in a Thursday press release. “These majestic creatures have long been viewed as the official bird of this country and it is past time we made it official without costing taxpayers a single cent.”

Taking Flight Although there is a national mammal, flower and tree, there is no national bird for the United States.

In 1782, the Continental Congress installed the bald eagle on the front of the Great Seal of the United States. Since then, it has been the second most used representation of the United States behind the American flag.

According to the History Channel, since ancient times the eagle has been considered a sign of strength, and Roman legions used the animal as a standard or symbol.

Could’ve Been A Turkey Although the story that Benjamin Franklin wanted America’s symbol to be the turkey is a myth, he did write a letter to his daughter criticizing the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying the eagle on it looked more like a turkey. He also described the bald eagle as “a Bird of bad moral Character.”

“He does not get his Living honestly …[he] is too lazy to fish for himself,” Franklin wrote.

In comparison, Franklin wrote that the turkey is “a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America.”

“He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage,” Franklin added.

The Comeback Bird Bald eagles are often seen flying majestically over Wyoming’s scenic backdrop, most commonly in the northwest and east central regions of the state, according to Wyoming Game and Fish.

The most significant concentrations of bald eagles can be found in Teton, Sublette and Carbon counties, including a substantial number of nesting pairs in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies estimates that 0.5% of the world’s population of bald eagles breed in Wyoming, which is about 1,250 birds.

The population of the species has completely recovered since the 1960s, when there were only around 400 breeding pairs left in the continental U.S. In 1978, the bald eagle was put on the Endangered Species List.

Thanks to federal protections as well as regulations involving the use of the pesticide DDT, by 1995, the bald eagle population had recovered enough for the bird’s status to be changed from endangered to threatened, and in 2007 it was removed completely from the list.

Mayor: What do you mean you cooked the turkey, Charlie?
Charlie: Well, I cooked the turkey, that’s all.
Mayor: You put our national bird in the oven. Is that correct?
Charlie: Yeah, well I, uh . . .
Mayor: And all of us had our mouths set for roast eagle with all the trimmings.
Charlie: Yeah, well I, uh . . .
Mayor: You did a thing like that?
Charlie: Well, the two birds were lying there side by side.
Mayor: The turkey was for the centerpiece, Charlie, I mean . . .
Charlie: Well, they looked so much alike that I, uh . . .
Mayor: Well, we blew it now. They’re all sitting down at the tables out there.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah.
Mayor: . . . starting on their little nut cups already. Just have to switch the birds, that’s all.
Charlie: Yeah, well . . .
Mayor: Serve them turkey instead of eagle. But it’s kinda scrawny-lookin’, isn’t it?
Charlie: Yeah, well I thought I’d stuff some old bread in it and make it look a little fatter.
Mayor: You do that, OK?
Charlie: OK.”

From Stan Freberg’s “United States of America”

"Who Knew? The Bald Eagle, Symbol Of Freedom, Isn’t The Official National Bird"

J. Edgar Swoop - Mason Williams
Song Lyrics:

As everyone knows the eagle's supposed to be the symbol of freedom.
They're very respected, government protected; it's against the law to eat 'em.
On dollars and collars and medals for scholars and flags that wag in the wind,
on cigars you puff and American stuff, the eagle is proudly pinned.

With such a position in American tradition eagles are responsible birds.
Moral delinquency's an idiosyncrasy that seldom if ever incurs.
But there once was an eagle who was not very regal by the name of J. Edgar Swoop.
It was quite often heard that bird's absurd, and ought be kept in a coop.

An example I'd say would be his toupee which he thought made him look debonair.
When he went to pike he'd always hitchhike; he never did travel by air.
J. hung around the streets of downtown. He said "Them mountains are dull.
All that you meets is occasional sheeps or maybe a high fly'n gull."

But the worst thing of all was that he had the gall to wear some baggy ol' knickers.
They were pink and blue plaid and fit him so bad, they caused titters, followed by snickers.
Well, in the government town the word got around about J. Edgar and his antics.
So a meeting was held and some Senators yelled "un-American" and the usual pedantics.
The FBI director, the Federal Bird Inspector, was called in to handle the deal.
He said "It looks like to me this eagle's too free, I 'spect he's gone over the hill."

"Well, there's only one choice" said the people's voice "America's depend'n on us.
We've got to find this bird and give him the word E pluribus unum or bust."
So the FBI, well they went out to try to make J. claw the line.
But he just wouldn't listen so they throwed him in prison to pay for his treacherous crime.

In the government town when things quieted down they decided to make an appendage.
'Cause the symbol of the country was in the penitentiary and they needed a new government image.
A measure was born and committees were formed to find a new Yankee Doodle.
And the symbol that best reflected the West was none but the miniature poodle.
Some argued the fact of what a poodle lacked. "Besides" they said, "They're French."
"But," said the committee "so's the Statue of Liberty.", so it went up before the bench.
Well the measure was passed and the law at last, was entered onto government logs
J. Edgar didn't care, poodles are *****; America's gone to the dogs

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