(bright cheerful music) [Narrator] It's on your passport, your driver's license, and your uncle's t-shirt, the bald eagle.

The Second Continental Congress put the bald eagle on the Great Seal of the US in 1782.

And for 242 years, we've assumed the bald eagle was our national bird, but we were wrong.

Without a doubt, the bald eagle has been the symbol of America.

A representation of authority since Roman times, the bald eagle is native to the US and symbolizes strength, freedom, and independence.

But until December, 2024, there was no law or executive action designating it as the national bird.

It took an eagle lover from Minnesota named Preston Cook, with the National Eagle Center, leading the effort to push it through Congress and make it official.

Now, the eagle sits in pride of place alongside the oak, rose, and bison as America's official national bird.