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Stars, Stripes, and Sky Kings
By Cheryl Conley | Lake Creek Nature Preserve
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday this July, it feels only fitting to turn our attention to the bird that has represented this country since 1782— the bald eagle. Fierce, resilient, and independent, it’ s hard to imagine a more appropriate symbol for the United States.
For all its long-standing association with the nation, most people are surprised to learn that the bald eagle wasn’ t officially declared the national bird until very recently. While it has appeared on the Great Seal and served as a powerful symbol of the United States since 1782, it wasn’ t formally designated in law until Joe Biden made it official. President Biden signed a bill on Christmas Eve in 2024 giving the bald eagle its special status. It seems almost unbelievable but somehow this iconic bird managed to represent a nation for nearly 250 years before anyone thought to make it official.
Let’ s go back to the beginning and find out why the bald eagle was chosen. After the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were tasked with designing an official seal for our new nation. Unable to come up with a design that met with Congress’ approval, two additional committees were formed in 1780. Again, no luck. In 1782 a third committee brought in artist William Barton. He sketched a small white eagle on the reverse side of a draft seal. Charles Thomson, the longtime Secretary of Congress, took Barton’ s small eagle and replaced it with the much larger American bald eagle, gave it the olive branch and the bundle of arrows, and sent the design to Congress. They approved it the same day, June 20, 1782. The bald eagle won out as the perfect choice for our national symbol. It is found only in North America, and it represents strength, courage, freedom, and immortality. Perfect symbol for a new country.
The bald eagle( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) belongs to the family Accipitridae, a group of birds of prey that includes hawks, kites, harriers, and other eagles. Bald eagles are classified as raptors, meaning they are predatory birds equipped with sharp talons, powerful beaks, and exceptional hunting skills. They are also considered hypercarnivores, animals whose diet consists primarily of meat. For bald eagles, fish make up much of their menu, although they will also eat waterfowl, small mammals, and carrion when the opportunity arises.
One of the bald eagle’ s most impressive features is its extraordinary eyesight. Eagles can spot prey from as high as 10,000 feet in the air and from distances of up to three miles away. Their powerful talons are razor sharp and incredibly strong, designed for gripping prey and defending themselves when necessary. Their hooked beaks, made of keratin like human fingernails, are used to tear food into smaller pieces. To keep their beaks in top condition, bald eagles engage in a behavior called“ feaking,” rubbing their beaks against rocks or tree branches to clean and sharpen them.
Bald eagles are famous for building the largest nests of any bird in North America. These enormous nests can measure up to six feet across and weigh hundreds of pounds. Construction can take anywhere from two weeks to three months, with both the male and female gathering sticks and nesting materials. Eagles prefer to build near water sources where fish are plentiful and often choose tall trees for safety. Rather than starting over each year, they return to the same nest annually, adding repairs and new materials. Over time, some nests can grow several feet larger through repeated use and reconstruction.
Photo Credit: Turo Jantunen
Female bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs, each about the size of a tennis ball. Both parents share incubation duties, carefully turning the eggs every couple of hours to ensure even warmth and healthy development. The parents also take turns keeping the eggs warm and protected from the elements.
After an incubation period of about 10 to 13 weeks, the eaglets hatch. Both parents work tirelessly to feed their young, tearing prey into small bites for them. By around seven weeks of age, the eaglets begin feeding themselves, and at approximately 12 weeks they are ready to leave the nest. Even after fledging, the young eagles continue to rely on their parents for food and guidance for another four to six weeks before becoming fully independent.
Clearly not featherless on their heads, why are they called bald? The word“ bald” once had a different meaning in
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