The bald eagle has officially become the national bird of the United States, following President Joe Biden’s signing of a bill that sought to recognize the bird that has been used as an American symbol since 1782 when he joined the Great Seal.
On Christmas Eve, Biden signed the amendment promoted by the National Eagle Center and a bipartisan group of congressmen who wanted to formalize the designation as the national bird of the Haliaeetus leucocephalusscientific name of the American eagle, also known as the bald eagle.
Jack Davis, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative at the National Eagle Center and sponsor of the law, warned in a statement that for almost 250 years The bald eagle has been called the national bird “when it wasn’t”.
“Now the title is official and no bird deserves it more. We have twice pushed it towards extinction, but the bald eagle resisted, ultimately showing us that living in peace with nature enriches our quality of life,” he added.
Recognized by its white head and yellow beak, the bald eagle was about to become extinct in the middle of the 20th centurydue to the destruction and degradation of their habitat, as well as illegal hunting and contamination of their food source by the insecticide known as DDT.
It is believed that the United States may have had up to 100,000 nesting eagles, but by 1963 only 417 nesting pairs were recorded, so the species was classified as endangered.
Efforts to prevent its disappearance have been described as a “success story” of the measures taken by the US government and environmentalists. Bald eagle population estimates in the lower 48 states, based on data from 2018 to 2019, total 316,700 birdsaccording to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The official designation of the bald eagle as our national bird reaffirms our nation’s commitment to conservation and honors a symbol beloved by Americans across the country,” said John Wodele, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative.
#bald #eagle #officially #designated #national #bird #United #States
