After 242 Years, the Bald Eagle Is About to Get Its Due

It's become an increasingly rare sight to see lawmakers on Capitol Hill reach across the aisle to pass a generally agreed-upon bill, but earlier this week, an announcement from Sen. Amy Klobuchar showed that it still happens on occasion. "My bipartisan legislation to recognize the Bald Eagle as our national bird just passed Congress and is now headed to the President's desk to be signed into law!" the Democrat from Minnesota wrote Monday on social media after the bill cleared the House, sending it to President Biden to make it official, reports USA Today.

The bill—which was introduced by Klobuchar, fellow Dem Sen. Tina Smith, and GOP Sens. Markwayne Mullin and Cynthia Lummis—unanimously sailed through the Senate in July. If you were under the impression that the bald eagle was already our national bird, you wouldn't be alone. However, although the once-endangered mascot has unofficially represented the United States ever since it appeared on the Great Seal in 1782, casting "its gaze toward the olive branch [and] signifying that our nation desires to pursue peace but stands ready to defend itself," this piece of legislation makes it official.

NPR and NBC News profile the man behind the drive to bestow this honor upon the bald eagle: Preston Cook, who has spent almost his whole life studying this particular bird of prey, collecting tens of thousands of pieces of eagle memorabilia over the decades. "My wife has been very tolerant, and I appreciate her for that," he tells NBC. "Occasionally, she will say, 'You have too many eagles.'" In 2010 he discovered the bald eagle wasn't actually America's national bird, and a mission was born.

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Cook spent years lobbying lawmakers, including the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and last year teamed up with the National Eagle Center to craft a bill that was eventually passed on to Congress. "This is an exciting day," Cook said after the House approved the law, per USA Today. "With this legislation, we honor its historic role and solidify its place as our national bird and an emblem of our national identity." Once Biden signs off, the bald eagle will be in the company of the bison (our national mammal), rose (national flower), and oak tree (national tree).