Wikipedia

Draft:National Bird Initiative

  • Comment: Which part of "we don't use external links in the body of an article" do you not understand? Theroadislong (talk) 19:39, 19 August 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: the issues have not been addressed. Theroadislong (talk) 21:03, 15 August 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: Please note we don't use external links in the body of an article. Theroadislong (talk) 19:07, 14 August 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: press releases and Cooks own book are not independent sources. Theroadislong (talk) 19:05, 14 August 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: Majority of the article lack sources. Ca talk to me! 15:59, 8 June 2025 (UTC)



National Bird Initiative was a legislative campaign to officially designate the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as the national bird of the United States. The initiative was led by author and eagle memorabilia collector Preston Cook in collaboration with the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. On December 23, 2024, President Joe Biden signed the designation into law following bipartisan approval in Congress.[1][2]

History

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In 1782, the Second Continental Congress selected the bald eagle as the national symbol of the United States, adopting it for use on the Great Seal of the United States.[3][4][unreliable source?] The bald eagle subsequently appeared on emblems and official seals across numerous federal agencies, including the Presidential Seal, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States Department of Justice, the United States Postal Service, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Department of State.

In 2010, while researching his book American Eagle: A Visual History of Our National Emblem, Cook discovered that no law had formally designated the bald eagle as the national bird.[5][6][additional citation(s) needed] In 2011, he wrote to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who confirmed in a written response that no such designation existed.[7]

In 2024, Cook formed a committee to advance the National Bird Initiative. Members included Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jack E. Davis, communications executive and former National Eagle Center board member John Wodele, as well as a legislative lobbying and public relations team. Cook drafted proposed legislation, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Brad Finstad.[8]

Congressional co-sponsors

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The bill received bipartisan support, with co-sponsors including:[9]

Passage of the bill

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The U.S. Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent on July 29, 2024.[10] The U.S. House of Representatives approved it without opposition on December 16, 2024. President Biden signed the measure into law on December 23, 2024.[1][2] The enactment was covered in national and international media.[11][12][13][additional citation(s) needed] Public commemorations were held at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, on December 30, 2024, and on March 19, 2025, recognizing the contributions of the bill's sponsors.[14][15]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Text - S.4610 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to designate the bald eagle as the national bird". United States Congress. December 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Associated Press (December 24, 2024). "Biden signs a bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the US". Associated Press. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States (1782)". National Archives. April 16, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  4. ↑ Editors, HISTORY com (November 13, 2009). "Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States | June 20, 1782". HISTORY. Retrieved March 30, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ↑ Bartlam, Tyler (December 17, 2024). "Turns out the bald eagle wasn't the official U.S. bird until this week". NPR. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ Cook, Preston (2019). American Eagle: A Visual History of Our National Emblem. San Francisco, CA: Goff Books. ISBN 978-1-941806-28-9.
  7. ↑ Magner, Mike (August 5, 2024). "Senate swoops in, centuries late, to name bald eagle national bird". Roll Call. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  8. ↑ Timar-Wilcox, Estelle (December 17, 2024). "Minnesota-backed bill to make bald eagles the national bird heads to Biden's desk". MPR News. Retrieved July 30, 2025.[dead link]
  9. ↑ "Bipartisan Klobuchar Legislation to Designate the Bald Eagle as the National Bird is Signed into Law". U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Text - S.4610 - 118th Congress (2023-2024)". United States Congress. December 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ "The bald eagle became the national bird thanks to one man". The Washington Post. December 20, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ Ruberg, Sara (December 27, 2024). "The Bald Eagle Is (Finally) the National Bird of the United States". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Halpert, Madeline (December 25, 2024). "Bald eagle officially declared US national bird after 250 years". BBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2025.[dead link]
  14. ↑ Mohs, Marielle (December 30, 2024). "Minnesota Eagle Center, Sen. Klobuchar celebrate passage of National Bird Bill". CBS News. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  15. ↑ Arney, Judy (March 25, 2025). "Congressman Brad Finstad visits the National Eagle Center". The Wabasha County Herald. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
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