What bird is shown on Albania’s national flag?

A double-headed eagle is shown on Albania’s national flag.

Albania’s flag is a red field bearing a black two-headed eagle. The eagle is associated with the medieval Albanian nobleman Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg, whose seal and banners helped establish the symbol as an important marker of Albanian identity.

The red field is commonly linked with bravery, strength and sacrifice, while the black eagle is the central national emblem. The flag was raised at Vlorë on 28 November 1912, when Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. That date remains Albania’s Independence Day and Flag Day.

The two heads are sometimes incorrectly interpreted as representing two separate countries. In heraldic tradition, a double-headed eagle is a single emblem with heads facing opposite directions. Albania’s design should also not be confused with Montenegro’s flag, which uses a golden double-headed eagle on a red field with additional heraldic details.