Cool critters: The eagle has landed in time for Independence Day

This Friday marks the first Fourth of July that the bald eagle – often seen flying near lakes across the Inland Northwest – is our country’s national bird.

Yes, really.

The bald eagle, an endearing symbol of American strength and independence for more than 240 years, has only been our national bird since Dec. 24, 2024, when then-President Joe Biden signed a bill that bestowed official recognition.

“Wasn’t the bald eagle our official national bird all along?”

Nope.

Despite the bald eagle being emblazoned on the United States Great Seal in 1782, followed by everything from currency, passports and government buildings to sports-team insignias, it wasn’t our national bird until six months ago. Before then, the U.S. didn’t even have a national bird. Never mind that the bison was our national mammal, the oak our national tree and the rose our national flower.

“It was an historical oversight,” explained Jack E. Davis., author of “The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird.” “Everyone called the bald eagle our national bird when it wasn’t. Even politicians assumed it was.”

To correct the lengthy lapse, Davis co-chaired the effort to elevate the bald eagle to formal status. Finally, the powers that be swooped in, delivering bipartisan Congressional approval followed by a flourish of the president’s pen last Christmas Eve.

Already, though, the bird was firmly imprinted in our collective American consciousness.

With its long wingspan, gleaming white head, bright yellow hooked beak and fierce eyes, the bald eagle was revered by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived. Several years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Congress informally selected it to symbolize our new nation’s liberty from European influences, Davis explained.

“The bald eagle was chosen because it’s native to North America and because it embodied the robustness, vastness and individuality of our country,” he said.

Unlike the bison, our country’s officially recognized mammal, you don’t need to travel far to see our official bird. These majestic raptors can be seen perched in tall trees and soaring high above, mostly near large lakes, reservoirs and rivers, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But the biggest eagle hot spots in our region are Lake Coeur d’Alene and Lake Pend Oreille, especially during November and December when they congregate to feed during the spawning run of kokanee salmon. While some of those eagles are year-round residents, others migrate from Canada as water bodies start to freeze, according to Idaho Fish and Game.

These large concentrations are especially remarkable given that the species faced extinction by the early 1960s. Across the U.S., their populations plummeted after being hunted for sport, pushed out of habitats and poisoned by the agricultural insecticide DDT.

Then, in 1978, the bald eagle became one of the first species to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. This measure, combined with habitat preservation and the banning of DDT, helped the raptor rebound in a big way, Davis explained.

So this Fourth of July, amid the parades, picnics and fireworks, keep in mind that we finally have a national bird to celebrate as well.

“Our country has many great bird species,” Davis said, “but I can’t think of one that’s more all-American than the bald eagle.”