The bald eagle, with its history as the symbol of the nation going back over 200 years, made a roaring comeback from near extinction to becoming America’s official bird this week.
President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill Tuesday that designated the bald eagle as the national bird. Despite appearing on the Great Seal of the U.S. since 1782, the bald eagle has never legally been recognized as the national bird until now.
With its distinctive brown body, white head and yellow beak, the bald eagle grasps an olive branch and arrows in its talons on the seal, which is used on official documents, military uniform buttons and every U.S. passport.
Though it’s the “most pictured bird in all of America,” according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the bald eagle has had to overcome threats to its very existence.