What bird appears on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States?

A bald eagle appears on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States. The eagle holds an olive branch in its right talon and a bundle of arrows in its left, symbolizing a preference for peace but readiness for war.

Congress approved the seal’s final design on June 20, 1782, after years of proposals and revisions. Secretary of the Continental Congress Charles Thomson assembled elements from earlier committee designs, while heraldic specialist William Barton helped define the final composition.

The eagle carries a shield with 13 stripes and a blue chief, representing the original states. Above its head is a constellation of 13 stars. The scroll in its beak bears the Latin motto “E Pluribus Unum,” commonly translated as “Out of many, one.”

The bald eagle is sometimes mistaken for a generic eagle or a golden eagle in descriptions of the seal. The official design specifies a bald eagle, a North American species that became the national bird in 1782. The seal was first used in September of that year.