Sovereign Wings

Sovereign Wings. . The bald eagle was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America when the Great Seal of the United States was adopted on June 20, 1782. To the nation's founders, the eagle represented freedom as well as supreme power and authority. , The bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America. Male bald eagles measure nearly three feet from head to tail, weigh seven to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan of about six and one-half feet. Females are larger some reaching 14 pounds and having a wingspan of up to eight feet. Bald eagles live 30 years or longer in the wild, and even longer in captivity. , The Great Seal of the United States shows an eagle, with a shield of thirteen vertical white and red stripes beneath a blue chief with the same number of stars. In the right talon the eagle holds an olive branch, in the left thirteen arrows, and in its beak a scroll inscribed with the Latin motto: "E Pluribus Unum,” or "out of many, one.” The eagle appears in the seals of many states, and on most gold and silver coinage.