A nation can have an animal, tree, bird, or an object as its national symbol.

For example, the Bald Eagle is the national animal

of the United States of America. It as adopted as a symbol of national significance by the !ontinental !ongress on "#ne $%th
&'($. )he design of the Bald Eagle holding &* arros, and a &*+leaf olive branch has been the same since its inception.
,ational symbols are extremely important, as they represent certain aspects hich are considered to be of national significance
for the co#ntry and its people. )hese symbols may or may not appear on the national flag, emblem, or on the coat of arms. It is
essential to #nderstand that national symbols sho#ld never be conf#sed ith less formal symbols that are #s#ally associated
ith cliches.
Symbols of U.S. Government: The Bald Eagle The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail.
The term "bald" does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the word piebald, an old word, meaning
"marked with white."
The bald eagle was made the national bird of the United States in 178. The image of the bald eagle can be found in man!
places in the U.S., such as on the "reat Seal, #ederal agenc! seals, the $resident%s flag, and on the one&dollar bill.
Why was the bald eagle chosen as our national symbol? The #ounding #athers wanted to choose an animal that was
uni'ue to the United States. #or si( !ears, the members of )ongress engaged in a dispute o*er what the national emblem
should be. +s a result of the debate, the bald eagle was chosen because it s!mboli,ed strength, courage, freedom, and
immortalit! and that it would look much better as our national s!mbol.
When Europeans first arrived on the North American continent in the 1600's, there were an estimated 25,000 to 50,000
bald eales, but populations have since dropped for man! reasons" #an! eales were captured for ettin too close to
poultr! or fishin nets$ some were captured for falconr!$ and man! eales were poisoned b! pesticides" %n 1&6', the bald
eale was included on the Endanered (pecies )ist" *ederal laws, such as the Bald Eagle Protection Act, protect the bald
eale and have led to the recover! of bald eale populations" %n 200', populations have improved and the the bald eale
was removed from the list"
The +merican bald eagle -Haliaeetus Leucocephalus. was adopted as the official bird emblem of the United States of +merica in 178. The bald
eagle was chosen because of it%s ma/estic beaut!, great strength, long life, and because it%s nati*e to 0orth +merica. In the wild, an eagle will li*e
12&13 !ears -up to 32 !ears in capti*it!.. + full&grown bald eagle has a wingspan up to 7 feet. The! fl! up to 12 miles an hour and can di*e at 122
miles an hour4 5agles feed primaril! on fish, supplemented b! small mammals, waterfowl, and carrion.
5agles mate for life, and an established pair will use the same nest for man! !ears. 6*er time some nests become enormous & the! can reach a
diameter of 7 feet and weigh as much as tons4 The female la!s or 1 eggs and both parents share incubation and guard them diligentl! against
predators -such as s'uirrels, gulls and ra*ens.. 8hile the chicks are small, the parents mo*e about the nest with their talons balled up into fists to
a*oid harming them.
In 178 there were between 3,222 and 73,222 birds in the lower 98 states alone. :ut farmers considered bald eagles *ermin and shot them on
sight. +s people started mo*ing west, much of the nesting territories and food sources of the eagle diminished. :! the late 1822%s, eagles were
becoming *er! scarce.
In 1792 the :ald 5agle +ct was passed and eagle populations began to reco*er. :ut pesticides were starting to be used e(tensi*el! about this
same time. $lants spra!ed with ;;T were eaten b! small animals, which in turn were eaten b! eagles. :oth the adult birds and their eggs were
affected. The eggshells were too thin to withstand incubation and were crushed -or simpl! did not hatch.. <arge 'uantities of ;;T were found in
the fatt! tissues of dead eagles, and b! 17=1 their numbers had fallen to a mere 917 nesting pairs.
+he Endanered (pecies Acts of 1&66 and 1&', helped to protect the bird, but bannin of --+ in 1&'2 was the most
effective in the bald eale's recover!" .! the !ear 2000 the /( *ish 0 Wildlife (ervice proposed that the eale be
declared full! recovered, but as no plan to manae the species e1ists, it is still listed as threatened"
The :ald 5agle has been the national emblem of the United States since 178 and a spiritual s!mbol for nati*e people for far
longer than that. These regal birds aren>t reall! bald, but their white&feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate&
brown bod! and wings. <ook for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering b! the hundreds in
winter. 6nce endangered b! hunting and pesticides, :ald 5agles ha*e flourished under protection.
Bald Eagles-istinuished b! a white head and white tail feathers, bald eales are powerful, brown birds that ma! weih 12
pounds and have a winspan of , feet" #ale eales are smaller, weihin as much as 10 pounds and have a winspan of 6
feet" (ometimes confused with 3olden Eales, .ald Eales are mostl! dar4 brown until the! are four to five !ears old
and ac5uire their characteristic colorin"
:ald 5agles li*e near ri*ers, lakes, and marshes where the! can find fish, their staple food. :ald 5agles will
also feed on waterfowl, turtles, rabbits, snakes, and other small animals and carrion. :ald 5agles re'uire a
good food base, perching areas, and nesting sites. Their habitat includes estuaries, large lakes, reser*oirs,
ri*ers, and some seacoasts. In winter, the birds congregate near open water in tall trees for spotting pre! and
night roosts for sheltering.
5agles mate for life, choosing the tops of large trees to build nests, which the! t!picall! use and enlarge each
!ear. 0ests ma! reach 12 feet across and weigh a half ton. The! ma! also ha*e one or more alternate nests
within their breeding territor!. In treeless regions, the! ma! also nest in cliffs or on the ground. The birds tra*el
great distances but usuall! return to breeding grounds within 122 miles of the place where the! were raised.
:ald 5agles ma! li*e 13 to 3 !ears in the wild, longer in capti*it!. :reeding :ald 5agles t!picall! la! one to
three eggs once a !ear, and the! hatch after about 13 da!s. The !oung eagles are fl!ing within three months
and are on their own about a month later.