Written by Justin Park|
Last updated
With turkey seasons underway in Florida and other Southern states, it’s worth revisiting one of the most persistent myths surrounding the star of spring hunting: Did Benjamin Franklin want the wild turkey to be America’s national bird?
The short answer is: no. Franklin wrote an excellent roast of the bald eagle in a letter to his daughter that gets quoted every Thanksgiving, but he never actually stumped for the game bird to become a national symbol.
“For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly,” Franklin wrote, tongue-in-cheek in 1784, before going on to praise the turkey.
But the letter and his contrast of the bald eagle and wild turkey were part of an allegorical composition questioning the hereditary Society of Cincinnati. You can read a full debunking with historical context here.
Do We Even Have a National Bird?
In fact, the idea of the eagle as official national bird is itself mostly a myth. Yes, the bald eagle is currently the “official national bird” of the United States, but that was only added to the U.S. Code in 2024, mostly to appease an affronted elderly eagle enthusiast who discovered it wasn’t officially enshrined in law.
The concept of and obsession with “national” flora and fauna is a very modern phenomenon. The bald eagle is just the latest to ascend to his symbolic throne.
In 2016, we made the American bison the “national mammal” despite it being too nearly extinct to even make it on the Endangered Species list and mostly serving as a reminder of the worst excesses of Western expansion.
In 2004, spurred by a voting contest held by the National Arbor Day Foundation, the oak tree was named the “official tree” of the U.S., with the Congressional Budget Office dryly noting that the bill “would have no significant cost.” Or, likely, impact.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan elevated the rose family to the title of “national floral emblem,” taking its place alongside “The Star Spangled Banner” as one of surprisingly few official national symbols.
You can see all of our national symbols listed in the U.S. Code here.
This impassioned call by the National Eagle Center from 2024 to make the bald eagle our official symbol explains why everyone thought it already was. Short version: it’s on the Great Seal of the United States, not to mention most patriotic biker t-shirts.
So are Turkeys Better Than Eagles?
For context, you can watch this bald eagle fail to prey on a gobbler.
Outside of judging talon-to-talon combat, it seems pretty unnecessary to pit these birds against each other in a popularity contest.
For hunters, however, the wild turkey is usually the more interesting species. It’s a formidable opponent in the woods and field, armed with heightened senses that make it a challenge to hunt. It’s also some of the best wild table fare and one of the few hunting opportunities in spring.
Franklin may have been half-serious in his preference for the turkey over the bald eagle, but next time someone echoes this persistent myth, you can let them know that we didn’t even have an official bird until the Biden administration.
Justin Park is a Colorado-based writer, editor, and avid hunter with a passion for the outdoors. He contributes to leading publications such as GearJunkie, Popular Mechanics, Powder, and Men's Journal, and serves as Editor of Wild Snow. Park is deeply involved in conservation and recreation advocacy, serving as Chapter Chair of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) in Summit County. He also represents RMEF on a state recreation committee focused on proactively addressing land use conflicts.