Bald Eagles are birds of prey that are native to North America. For six years, the members of Congress held a dispute over the U.S. national emblem. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true, original native of America.” Apparently, he did not mince words.
Fortunately, Franklin lost that argument. Since 1782, thanks to Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, the bald eagle was chosen over a white eagle in the original design. Ultimately, this “lousy” white-headed bird with a massive wingspan was given the honor of representing the nation. The American eagle makes official appearances on many government institutions and official documents, including the president’s flag, the mace of the House of Representatives, military insignia, and billions of one-dollar bills per va.gov. President John F. Kennedy was clearly on team eagle. He wrote the following to the Audubon Society, “The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the nation’s emblem. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolize the strength and freedom of America. But as latter-day citizens, we shall fail our trust if we permit the eagle to disappear.”
This predatory bird has faced the threat of extinction. In the late 1800s, the USA was home to 100,000 nesting bald eagles. However, their populations became threatened by habitat destruction and hunting. Of course, Congress did pass the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940 to prevent people from possessing, killing, or selling the birds. Following WWII, the chemical pesticide DDT came into use, and by the 1960s, there were barely 400 breeding pairs left in the continental U.S. Gratefully, due to conservation efforts, America’s bald eagle population is making a comeback, with more than 71,400 nesting pairs, as reported in 2021 by the U.S. Department of the Interior, a very encouraging statistic for this bold and beautiful “lousy” bird.
I would have said to Benjamin Franklin, “It’s hard to soar with the eagles when you work with turkeys!”
Good overview of dangers to Eagles from wind mills ; quoted below masterresource.org/cuisinarts-of-the-air/green-energys-hidden-eagle-slaughter/
It’s hard to imagine and even harder to stomach, but more than 60,000 eagle carcasses have secretly shipped to this repository, with no cause of death or origin given…. Since 1997, nobody involved with wind energy and its eagle carcasses, has been allowed to disclose the truth.”
“America’s silenced USFWS agents know exactly what’s taking place because they process and arrange FedEx overnight shipping for nearly all the eagle carcasses shipped to the Denver Eagle Repository.”
Recently an American wind energy company pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges after at least 150 eagles were killed since 2012. The company has agreed to spend as much as $27 million on efforts to prevent more deaths. MICHIGAN KILLS MANY – but the wind cuisinart is covered up.
The BALD EAGLE is truly MAJESTIC and a great representation for our country. Really can’t see or envision the TURKEY as a national symbol particularly when Thanksgiving and Christmas come along and our appetites take over.