• USA

Washington, Dec 25 (EFE).-

After being used as the United States’ national emblem for nearly 250 years, the bald eagle has officially become the country’s national bird following a Christmas bill signed by President Joe Biden.

The bird has appeared on the Great Seal of the US since 1782, but on Christmas Eve, Biden signed the amendment promoted by the National Eagle Center and a bipartisan group of congressmen who wanted to formalize the national designation of the Haliaeetus leucocephalus, the scientific name of the American eagle, also known as the bald eagle.

Jack Davis, co-chair of the National Eagle Center’s National Bird Initiative and promoter of the law, said in a statement that for almost 250 years the bald eagle was called the national bird “when it wasn’t.”

“But now the title is official, and no bird is more deserving. Twice we pushed it toward extinction yet the Bald Eagle endured, ultimately showing us that living peacefully with nature enriches our quality of life,” he added.

Recognized by its white head and yellow beak, the bald eagle was nearly extinct in the mid-20th century due to habitat destruction and degradation, as well as illegal hunting and contamination of its food source by the insecticide known as DDT.

The US is believed to have had as many as 100,000 nesting eagles, but by 1963 only 417 nesting pairs were counted, so the species was listed as endangered.

Efforts to prevent its extinction have been hailed as a “success story” of measures taken by the US government and environmentalists.

Estimates of the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states, based on data from 2018 to 2019, total 316,700 birds, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Officially designating the Bald Eagle as our national bird reaffirms our nation’s commitment to conservation and honors a symbol dear to Americans nationwide,” said John Wodele, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative. EFE

amv/tw