Why is the bald eagle the U.S. national bird?

In 2024 the bald eagle was officially designated America’s national bird. This left many people thinking, Wait—what was our bird before? Andre: In 1782 the bald eagle was designated to be part of our national seal. This choice was based on several factors. Andre: Number one, it is native to the United States. Andre: Eagles have had a long symbolism throughout human culture and many Native American cultures. If you take a look around the world, eagles are usually used to symbolize strength, freedom, and pride. A beautiful, soaring symbol of our at-the-time new country. Just don’t challenge one to a thumb war. Andre: The power in the feet of the eagle is something that is unparalleled by people. Andre: Average pressure that a person can grip is somewhere between 60 to about 105 p.s.i. An eagle? 400 pounds in one foot. By 1900 this mighty bird was in trouble: ranchers thought bald eagles were killing their cattle. In addition to eating fish, small mammals, and other birds—eagles are scavengers. They were eating cattle that had already died of anthrax. Because anthrax often results in sudden death, ranchers thought bald eagles were responsible and started putting bounties on birds. In the 1940s two things happened: the Bald Eagle Protection Act was introduced—which made it illegal to harm an eagle. But so was the insecticide DDT. Andre: It started to affect the biology of the bald eagles. So when bald eagle females would lay their eggs and then sit on the eggs to incubate them, the egg shells were too soft, and they were inadvertently crushing their own eggs. By the 1960s the bald eagle population had dropped to just a few hundred breeding pairs. Drastic steps were needed to save these birds. DDT was banned, and in 1978 bald eagles were added to the Endangered Species Act. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs were launched, eagle habitats were protected from development, and nests were guarded during breeding season. Andre: By 1995 we were able to take the eagles off the endangered list. In 2019 the population had rebounded to 316,000 breeding pairs. Andre: We currently have two bald eagles here at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago.
We have one that is 31 years old. His name is Charlie. Charlie came to us from Florida after Charlie was found around the landfill, trying to hunt with a wing that had been broken but then frozen over. Zeus is currently 18 years old, and Zeus came to us from Maryland. They think that Zeus either flew into some power lines while chasing prey or actually was hit by a train. The majestic bald eagle was saved from the brink of extinction—one of the greatest conservation successes of all time. And in 2024 they finally got their long overdue promotion to official bird of the United States. The Eagle has landed.