Minnesota Leading Effort to Make Bald Eagle America’s Official Bird

While everyone assumes that the Bald Eagle holds some kind of special status as the "official bird of America", that actually isn't the case, and Minnesota is leading an effort to change that.

The National Eagle Center, located in Wabasha, MN, has teamed up with U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives to officially make the bald eagle America's national bird.

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America does have a list of "official" things, Preston Cook, Co-Chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center, points out that the "The bison is the national mammal, the rose is the national flower, and the oak is the national tree".

The Eagle Center says that there is some confusion about the topic, back in 1782, the Continental Congress put the bald eagle on the front of the Great Seal, and ever since, it has been representative of America across the globe, only second to the Star-Spangled Banner.

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U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and U.S. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Angie Craig (D-MN) are leading a legislative effort to officially designate the bald eagle as our country's National Bird. The effort is also being supported by the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes.

Klobuchar says about the effort, "The bald eagle is a symbol of our country's freedom and strength. In Minnesota, we are proud to call ourselves home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the country".

Since 1999, the National Eagle Center has been educating and offering eagle experiences at their world-class museum that is home to the impressive Preston Cook American Eagle Collection that is the world’s largest single collection focused on eagles with over 40,000 pieces from fine art, to memorabilia.