WASHINGTON — In the rush toward recess last week, the Senate moved to correct an oversight that many Americans might not even be aware of when lawmakers passed a bill to designate the bald eagle as the national bird.
Since it was engraved on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, the eagle has been universally assumed to be the country’s national bird, just as the Baltimore oriole is the state bird in Maryland and the robin is so named in Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin.
But authors of books on the bald eagle discovered in recent years that Congress never officially designated a national bird, even though it’s the only flying creature that adorns U.S. currency, many military insignias and the seals of numerous government agencies, including the departments of Defense and Justice.
The Senate bill from Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Wyoming Republican Cynthia Lummis passed by unanimous consent on July 29.
