Which bird is the sole supporter on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States?

The American bald eagle is the sole supporter on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States.

Charles Thomson’s 1782 final design specified an American bald eagle as the central supporter of the shield. The eagle holds an olive branch in its right talon and a bundle of thirteen arrows in its left, symbolizing a preference for peace while remaining prepared for war. Its head faces the olive branch.

Earlier proposals for the seal used different figures and arrangements. Benjamin Franklin suggested a scene from the biblical Exodus, while other committee designs included allegorical human figures. The final design replaced those concepts with the eagle, shield, stars, arrows, and olive branch.

The bald eagle became a national symbol partly because it is native to North America and was viewed as distinctive from European heraldic emblems. The bird appears on official documents, military insignia, passports, and government seals. It also appears on the presidential seal, whose design is based on the Great Seal.