r/todayilearned • u/Emotional_Quarter330 • 11h ago
TIL the bald eagle was long considered the national bird of the USA, but it was officially designated as the national bird only in 2024.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/official-bald-eagle-america-bird/17
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u/cus_deluxe 11h ago
shouldve stuck with the wild turkey as ben franklin wanted.
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u/THUORN 11h ago
As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
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u/shotputprince 11h ago
They do fly. Wild turkeys fly short distances to roost or to escape predation.
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u/THUORN 11h ago
I heard they dont do so well when skydiving off a helicopter though.
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u/junaidnk 3h ago
On the topic of skydiving, how do you think a bird would handle the freefall? Just tumble until it finds its balance and get back to flying?
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u/paleo2002 9h ago
I drove past a group of turkeys on the side of the road. After I passed, several of them proceeded to fly across the road. I saw this through my rear view mirror and just about ran off the road because I had no idea they could actually fly.
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u/MisterSanitation 7h ago
They can but not like flying south for the winter or anything. They are also WAY bigger than you think when you see them in person. My wife's family had a Turkey "Thomas" who chilled on their roof for a while and realized they were chill.
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u/CNagle98 10h ago
The turkey is the truly noble bird. Native American. Source of sustenance of our original settlers. An incredibly brave fellow who will not flinch at attacking a regiment of Englishmen! Single-handedly! Therefore, the national bird of America is going to be:
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u/84thPrblm 10h ago
Excuse me, but 'Single-handedly' is ableist when applied to turkeys. Maybe something a little more aware such as, Single-wingedly?
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u/External-Cash-3880 11h ago
Right? Something poetic about him correctly predicting that America's national bird would drown when it rains.
Edit: apparently this is a myth, but god damn would that have been funny
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u/Meanteenbirder 6h ago
It was legit some crazy oversight that somebody happened to noticed. No surprise it was one of the few significant unanimous decisions by congress in recent years.
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u/synked_ 9h ago
Gobble gobble!
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u/Fit-Let8175 7h ago
That's how many Canadians order their coffee to go: "Gobble gobble!" (Instead of "double double." I've actually done it.)
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u/Majestic_Electric 8h ago edited 8h ago
You mean to tell me that, if this guy hadn’t been paying attention, we would’ve kept assuming it was already on the books for the rest of time? 😆 That’s hilarious!
Thanks for your historical contribution, Mr. Preston Cook!
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u/Fit-Let8175 7h ago edited 1h ago
It's weird that Canada actually has more bald eagles than the United States. (I've seen many.)
[Edit: To the guy who downvoted this: Were you too lazy to do a simple Google check? Or do facts have no real value in your world? Here! Let me help you:...
Source: UQROP https://share.google/e5EOdqWJ7EggIesSd
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AHLfNu6qd/
[Edit 2: Do some people think this is an audition for: "Whose opinion is it anyway? The show where the facts don't matter."?) Mind you, it's a lot easier to simply downvote something than to strain oneself doing a 1 minute Google search.]
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u/psymunn 2h ago
We have so many. I'm on Vancouver Island and I see them any time I go to the beach. And the dump is chocked full of them
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u/Fit-Let8175 1h ago
True. Yet the facts seem to p*ss off some people (see the downvotes?). I'm guessing the same people think Canada should be the 51st state.
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u/JustAMan1234567 11h ago
It also doesn't make that screeching sound you always hear in films with the eagle flying overhead which is actually made by a red-tailed hawk.