Although the bird of prey is at the center of the Great Seal of the United States, it was never formally recognized as the country's official bird. Some of the Founding Fathers — Benjamin ...

The bald eagle was adopted as the Coat of Arms for the United States Great Seal in June 1782 ... to designate the bald eagle as the country’s official bird. He even penned a draft of the ...

An effort launched in Wabasha may change that. The bald eagle has appeared on the Great Seal of the United States, which is used in official documents, since 1782, when the design was finalized.