Social media comments after bald eagle declared America's national bird
WeirdNews
President Joe Biden signed a bill on Christmas Eve
(Web Desk) - The bald eagle has been a symbol of power and strength in the US for more than 240 years but has only recently been declared the national bird.
President Joe Biden signed a bill on Christmas Eve, designating the predator as America's symbol after it first appeared on a Massachusetts copper cent coined in 1776.
However, the announcement was met with confusion as many Americans have believed that the bald eagle has always been the national bird.
'Am I the only one who thought the bald eagle was the national bird already,' one person asked on X. 'Swear this was something I learned in elementary school.'
Congress that same year designated the bald eagle as the national emblem, and its image appears in a host of places, ranging from documents and the presidential flag to military insignia and US currency.
Biden's declaration has sparked hundreds of social media comments from Americans all saying the same thing.
While an X user posted: 'I went to school in the 70's. The bald eagle has always been our national bird. Now they're saying that it wasn't. Makes no sense to me.'
One user joked on Instagram, saying they believed the bald eagle was always the national bird and the Christmas Eve announcement was just a rebrand.
Benjamin Franklin deemed it 'a bird of bad moral character’ when it debuted on The Great Seal.
Centuries later, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Brad Finstad, both of Minnesota, said the bald eagle is 'a historical symbol of the United States representing independence, strength and freedom.'
The majestic creature is known for its white head, yellow beak, brown body and large wing span, and uniqueness in North America.
It is featured on post stamps, the $1 bill, and displayed above federal departments and agencies across the US.
The majestic creature was driven to the brink of extinction in the second half of the 20th century.
