The Bald Eagle is now officially the National Bird of the United States of America (photo by Paul Konrad).

Although the Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and has commonly been referred to as “the national bird,” it really didn’t have that status officially – until now. On December 24th President Biden signed the new bill into law, a bill with strong bipartisan support that was co-sponsored by US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, and Congresspeople Brad Finstad, a Republican, with Democrat Angie Craig, all from Minnesota, along with Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming. The Senate passed the bill unanimously and the bill sailed through the House of Representatives and on to President Biden’s desk.

It's official now, the Bald Eagle is the National Bird of the United States of America, and long may Bald Eagles fly above Florida and Alaska and all states in between! The national tree is the oak, the national mammal is the American Bison, the national flower is the rose, and all 50 states have a state bird. But until Christmas, there was no official national bird, although we all knew it was the Bald Eagle in our hearts. For more information you can refer to Smithsonian magazine’s online article at The Bald Eagle Just Became America's National Bird. What Took So Long? | Smithsonian (smithsonianmag.com)

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