The Bald Eagle, our national bird since June 20th, 1782, is found only on the North American Continent. The image of this sea eagle with the white- feathered head can be seen on the backs of coins as well as on the Great Seal of the United States. This large, solitary bird of prey has long represented freedom to Americans since the early battles of the Revolutionary War when it was said that the sound of loud musket fire awoke sleeping eagles in the area and sent them circling over the heads of the fighting men, screaming their sharp cries.
The eagle has also played an important role in the lives and histories of the American Plains Indians. In Cheyenne Indian lore the eagle appeared in visions and told the tribes that wearing the eagle feathers in head dresses and other ornaments would mean their success in battle. Eagle feathers and eagle-bone whistles were commonly used in healing ceremonies like the Eagle Dance and the Sun Dance. Today, only Indian tribes with special permits can collect eagle body parts and feathers, which are distributed through the National Fish and Wildlife Department to tribal elders.
The bald eagle's population of nearly 70,000 is spread over most of North America from Alaska and Canada to Northern Mexico. Most eagles don't migrate but those that do travel south in the winter months looking for open, unfrozen bodies of water. They were once a species that topped the lists of endangered and threatened animals but since the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1972 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared them fully recovered, but still protected, as of July 2000.
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Written by: Myrna Hassed