Meet Preston Cook, the man who fought for the bald eagle and ensured America got its national bird
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Journey of Preston Cook
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Bald eagle: The icon of America
It took nearly 250 years, but the bald eagle , the white-crowned raptor long seen as a symbol of American freedom, has officially been declared the national bird of the United States . While in popular notion the bald eagle was embossed as America's national bird, in reality and on paper, it was not. Now, many knew about it, and for nearly two-and-a-half centuries, the bald eagle was projected as the US national bird.Former President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation into law on December 24, 2024, correcting what many considered a strange oversight in US history. While the bald eagle has adorned seals, currency, passports, and military insignia since 1782, it was never formally recognized in federal law. Preston Cook stands at the centre of this long overdue recognition as the man who gave America its national bird. An 82-year-old Army veteran and self-taught eagle historian, Cook transformed a lifelong obsession into a national legislative triumph.Cook's passion began in 1966, during his service in the US Army. His brass uniform buttons bore the eagle emblem. 'That symbol was powerful. It stuck with me,' Cook told CNN, seated amid the artifacts of his vast eagle collection at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.He spent years collecting everything bearing the eagle's image, military patches, government documents, flags, coins, stamps, even corporate logos. What began as a hobby evolved into a historical archive of over 40,000 items, now considered one of the world's largest eagle-themed collections.Cook even sold his real estate holdings and downsized his life to fund his quest. 'It wasn't just about collecting,' he said. 'It was about documenting how Americans saw themselves through this bird.'Now a retired real estate investor, he lives with his wife in Wabasha, Minnesota, along the banks of the Mississippi River. It is also the home to the National Eagle Centre, where his life's work is now housed.While cataloguing eagle references in US law in 2010, Cook made a startling discovery that although the bald eagle was symbolically revered, no statute had ever made it the official national bird.'I couldn't believe it,' he said. 'It was on our passports, our seals, our military uniforms, and yet, not in our laws.'Cook launched the National Bird Initiative, self-financing a modest but persistent lobbying campaign. Over the next decade, he knocked on congressional doors, built coalitions with tribal leaders, veterans' groups, zoos, and conservationists, and drafted the very language that would become law.Lawmakers across the aisle took notice, and in July 2024, the US Senate unanimously passed the bill. The House approved it by voice vote in December.'He did what the federal government never thought to do,' said Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN), one of the bill's sponsors. 'He gave the bald eagle its rightful place in history.'Many tribes regard the eagle as sacred, and its feathers are used in religious ceremonies and cultural rites.Jim Thunder Hawk, a Dakota elder from the Prairie Island Indian Community, praised the legislation: 'It gives honor to what we've always known. The eagle watches over us. Maybe when the nation sees it that way, we'll see each other differently, too.'Cook made sure the bill included recognition of the eagle's cultural significance to Native communities. 'This had to be more than a patriotic stamp,' he said. 'It had to represent everyone.'Once nearing extinction due to hunting and pesticides like DDT, the bald eagle has made a stunning comeback. There were just 417 nesting pairs in the Lower 48 in 1963. Today, there are more than 300,000 eagles nationwide, according to US Fish and Wildlife.'This legal recognition is more than symbolic,' said Audubon biologist Dr. Maria Delgado. 'It's a chance to recommit to protecting the ecosystems the eagle depends on.'Cook's contributions are immortalized in the National Eagle Center's $27 million expansion, where veterans, schoolchildren, and tourists view his collection. Now in his 80s, he has no plans to slow down and is hoping for a White House ceremony.'I never did this for attention,' he said. 'I did it because the eagle deserved it. And because America needs a unifying symbol, now more than ever.'
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