 I'm Deepa Fernandes along with Peter O'Dowd. It's Here and Now. The bald eagle is a sacred bird in some Native American cultures, and it's been the national emblem of the United States since 1782. The majestic birds have made a remarkable recovery from when they were endangered species in the 1960s. In fact, there are now so many that a lot of them get injured by cars and poisoned by lead.