Bald eagle's new status as the official US bird brings pride and hope to many Native Americans
Associated Press
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Angel, a 26-year-old bald eagle from Wisconsin that was too gravely injured to be returned to the wild, serves as "ambassador" to visitors at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn., on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)Relatives place bald eagle feathers on the heads of new high school graduates, as a mark of accomplishment and as reverence to the bird they hold sacred, at a ceremony at the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)A ceremonial staff with eagle feathers stands near the podium at a ceremony honoring high school and higher education graduates at the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)New graduate Arthur Lockwood, center left, and other members of the Prairie Island Singers perform drumming at a ceremony honoring high school and higher education graduates at the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)Jayvionna Buck poses for a portrait by the Mississippi River with the new bald eagle feather she received at a ceremony honoring high school graduates like her at the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)Derek Walking Eagle walks by the Mississippi River before attending a ceremony honoring high school graduates by presenting them with a bald eagle feather at the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)A bald eagle flies over the Mississippi River toward Wisconsin from Lake City, Minn., prime territory for the newly official U.S. national bird, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)
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Angel, a 26-year-old bald eagle from Wisconsin that was too gravely injured to be returned to the wild, serves as "ambassador" to visitors at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn., on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
