WASHINGTON, D.C. — For almost 250 years, one animal has been synonymous with the United States of America: the bald eagle.

What You Need To Know

  • The bald eagle, long associated with the U.S., is still not officially the national bird

  • Lawmakers introduced a bill to designate the eagle as the national bird

  • The bill is expected to be voted on after Labor Day

The feathered creature has symbolized freedom, strength and independence dating back to the ancient Roman republic.

“You ask anyone on the street, and they're going to tell you, the bald eagle is our national bird. They're wrong,” said Preston Cook, a collector of eagle items and author of “American Eagle: A Visual History of Our National Emblem.”

While doing research for that book, Cook found there was no legislation or presidential proclamation that makes the bald eagle the official bird of the country, though it has been associated as a symbol of the U.S. since the 18th century. The eagle first appeared as an American symbol on a Massachusetts copper cent coined in 1776.

The eagle wasn’t always the settled bird of America, though. Members of Congress fought over what the national symbol should be for years.

Benjamin Franklin was a private critic of the eagle, writing in a letter to his daughter,

“I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true, original native of America.”

Today, the official seals of the Office of President, Congress, the Supreme Court, and many federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Labor, display the eagle front and center.

“So last year I wrote a very simple bill with no appropriation, no cost to the government, that the eagle should be our national bird,” Cook said. “And then that was presented to our local congressman, Brad Finstad. It was presented to our senior senator here in Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, and they, along with others, introduced the bill.”

On July 29, before leaving town for its August recess, the Senate took action, unanimously passing legislation to officially make the bald eagle the national bird. A similar bipartisan bill is making its way through the House.

It is expected to be taken up when the House reconvenes after Labor Day.

“This time in history, right now, with what we have in the way of pretty much divisiveness and discord in politics, in government, that it's good to see that everybody agrees on something which they have, so I'm real pleased about that,” Cook said.