Bald Eagles’ Soaring Comeback as America’s Official National Bird

A bald eagle prepares to take flight in Katchemak Bay, Alaska. Andy Morffew/CC BY-SA 2.0

PHOENIX—“I love bald eagles!” declared Lexie Fuenning during a visit to the Phoenix Zoo. “I recently was in Washington state and saw some in the wild.”

She had never seen American bald eagles up close before, as Theia and Apollo turned their heads to look at her from their large enclosure.

Fuenning and her friend Jacquelyn Shihadeh, both from Phoenix, admired the eagles’ white plumage as they perched on tree branches, showcasing their piercing eyes and patient demeanor.

“They’re such beautiful and large birds. They look stunning in the sky,” Fuenning told The Epoch Times. 

The bald eagle is an important national symbol that has inspired people for centuries. It appears on the Great Seal of the United States, one-dollar bills, postal service vehicles and stamps, government buildings, and even as a gold finial atop the American flag.

Fuenning and Shihadeh, like many Americans, have always considered the bald eagle to be the national bird of the United States.

No one had ever claimed otherwise.

However, it wasn’t officially designated as such until Dec. 23, 2024, when Congress passed a bill that made it the national bird after 248 years of inaction.

“I always thought it was the national bird. What was it before?” Fuenning asked.

As Benjamin Franklin Saw It

In January 1784, as the newly independent nation forged its path, Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, believed that the bald eagle was an unsuitable national symbol.

In a letter to his daughter, Franklin was ambivalent about the original bald eagle sketch of the Great Seal, which first appeared in 1782, considering the bird to have a “bad moral character.”

“For my own part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He does not get his living honestly,” Franklin wrote.

“You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him.”

Bald eagles Apollo and Theia perch inside their habitat enclosure at the Phoenix Zoo on Jan. 16, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

However, it is a myth that Franklin preferred the turkey as the national symbol despite his respect for the feisty native fowl, according to The Franklin Institute.

Franklin regarded the turkey as a more respectable bird and a true native of America. He is, despite being a little vain and “silly,” a bird of courage, Franklin wrote.

Although the bald eagle is admired and holds great impact as a national symbol, neither Congress nor any U.S. president had officially designated it as the national bird for more than two centuries.

On June 20, 2024, congressional members from Minnesota introduced a bipartisan bill, which passed six months later and was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

“The bald eagle has long been a symbol of freedom and patriotism for our nation,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) in a statement. “It’s only fitting we officially designate the bald eagle the national bird of the United States.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said “The bald eagle is a symbol of our country’s freedom and strength.”

She said Minnesota is home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the country.

The National Eagle Center, a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota, led the effort, which received a resolution of support from the 35 Indigenous nations of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes.

Kathy Benner, the avian curator for the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska, said that Preston Cook, a Minnesota native and former board member, was a key advocate for the initiative.

“Cook spearheaded a lot of this,” Benner told The Epoch Times, “and then he wrote [the bill], and then Congress wrote it. He is a supporter of ours—so no, if he hadn’t gotten involved, this might never have happened.”

Bald eagle Apollo watches a visitor at the Phoenix Zoo on Jan. 16, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“We needed someone like him to really push this through,” Benner added. “And he personally called me to make sure that we were on board to sign [on], and we signed in support of it.”

‘Amazing Comeback’

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act make it a federal crime to kill, sell, or harm eagles, their nests, or their eggs.

The population of bald eagles declined sharply in the 1960s due to exposure to the pesticide DDT. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned DDT in 1972.

Bald eagles were once on the verge of extinction, with only 417 known nesting pairs recorded in the lower 48 states in 1963, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. 

However, thanks to decades of intervention, the banning of DDT, and collaborative conservation efforts, the bald eagle population has rebounded significantly. 

Fish and Wildlife estimates that by 2019 there were more than 71,400 breeding pairs and a total of 316,700 individuals in the lower 48 states.

“The recovery of the bald eagle is one of the most well-known conservation success stories of all time,” the agency stated.

“Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1932. It depicts Benjamin Franklin (L), John Adams (C), and Thomas Jefferson (R) reviewing a draft of the Declaration of Independence. Public Domain

Benner said it was a common misconception to regard the once-endangered bald eagle as the national bird.

“They’re just as protected as they always were,” she said, adding that the number of bald eagles in Alaska is in the thousands. 

“The last number I heard is the population is around 30,000.” 

They are not only important as a national icon but also vital to Alaska’s ecosystem, she said. They are similar to bears in that they eat salmon, bring it onto the shore, take it into the woods, eat what they want, and “leave the carcass to decay.”

“All of those nutrients from that salmon go into the soil,“ Benner said. ”This helps the plants in the forest. Then when it rains, all those nutrients wash out into the ocean, which feeds plankton, which feeds whales. 

The Great Seal of the United States on the center of the ceiling in the Benjamin Franklin State Dining room at the Department of State on Feb. 7, 2014, in Washington. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

“It’s a cycle—and this whole area, it has a balance to it. We still have a bunch [of eagles] here [in Haines]. They’re just feasting on the salmon. Now we’ve had a mild winter, so they’re sticking around longer, but they come from all over southeast Alaska and they come up from Canada.”

Regarding Franklin’s controversial view of the bald eagle, Benner described it as having a reputation as a “pirate.”

The bird steals fish mainly from ospreys, she said. She believes Franklin “really didn’t have anything against the bald eagle.”

“He was just like—oh look, the eagles do this and the politicians do the same thing. It’s pretty funny when you really delve into it. He didn’t really want the turkey,” Benner said.

Bald eagles, as apex predators, mate for life and are dedicated to raising their young, Benner said. They also serve as an indicator of the environment’s health.

If the ecosystem is balanced and bald eagles start to disappear, “you need to find out why,” she said.

Theia and Apollo

Bryan MacAulay, the collection manager of birds at the Phoenix Zoo, noted that the zoo’s pair of bald eagles has benefited from a good home and proper care.

They provide valuable educational opportunities for the public to learn about the species, MacAulay told The Epoch Times.

The birds also serve as a testament to the success of effective management programs, demonstrating that once-endangered species such as the bald eagle can be brought back from the brink of extinction.

Apollo the male eagle is 17 years old and was rescued after being found in the Greenbriar River in West Virginia. His shoulder was severely damaged and he could not be released back into the wild after receiving treatment at Houston Zoo. 

The Phoenix Zoo acquired Apollo in 2019 to serve as a companion for Theia, a 21-year-old bald eagle who was rescued in Texas and joined the zoo in 2017. Both are owned by the Fish and Wildlife Department.

The average lifespan of a bald eagle is between 20 and 30 years. MacAulay expressed hope that the bird’s new official status will enhance its chances for survival.

“Having the bald eagle nationally recognized as our nation’s bird will only solidify awareness of this species and its success story while hopefully motivating the continuation of preserving and protecting our nation’s wildlife,” MacAulay said.