# Eagle vs. Turkey **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 1999, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310 "1999-09-17T10:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 1999, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/1 "1999-09-17T10:00:00Z")
- - - Homework question! An unwired friend’s son is supposed to \*try[/] to find out why the Eagle was chosen as the US symbol. I found a few sites that talk of how somebody wanted the turkey instead, but I can’t find anywhere that really goes into detail about the situation. Were any other animals nominated? Who voted for what? - MC ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 1999, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/2 "1999-09-17T12:41:00Z")
If I remember my grade school history correctly, it was Ben Franklin who praised the attributes of the turkey for our national symbol. Of course, this could be an UL. I’m gald they chose the eagle! Just imagine if the Post Office had to use a turkey as their mascot. Oh, wait,…never mind. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 1999, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/3 "1999-09-17T14:10:00Z")
[http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.html](http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.html) at [http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/](http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 1999, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/4 "1999-09-17T14:17:00Z")
I posted too quickly (with insufficient proofreading). I had intended to note that the preceding site provides a link to [http://www.greatseal.com/](http://www.greatseal.com/) that presents a description of the four committees (in six years) who worked on designs for the Great Seal of the U.S. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 1999, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/5 "1999-09-17T21:36:00Z")
I heard that eventually Ben Franklin abandoned the National Turkey idea because the male turkey makes a terrible father. I don’t know if male eagle are regular Mr. Moms, or what. So what would Ben Franklin’s idea of a good father be? Maybe he meant, good at fathering … lots and lots… ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Iron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Big\_Iron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Iron)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/6 "1999-09-19T00:09:00Z")
I dunno about the male turkey’s parenting skills, but they do keep harems, so maybe he just thought it wqs an affront to Judeo-Xian values or something. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/7 "1999-09-19T05:06:00Z")
That part about the eagle being picked because “it was believed at the time to be native only to this continent” seems a bit of a stretch. The Romans used the eagle as a symbol. And the Founding Fathers all seemed to have fairly good classical educations. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/8 "1999-09-19T05:20:00Z")
Well, perhaps that was a different species of eagle? Or a variety of the same species, but different enough physically that the two appeared to be different species? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/9 "1999-09-19T06:20:00Z")
From the Encyclopædia Britannica: > [@](#): > > **Bald Eagle** : (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), bird of the family Accipitridae, the only eagle solely native to North America. The U.S. bird is specifically the bald eagle. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagle-vs-turkey/3310/10 "1999-09-19T10:14:00Z")
Male turkeys (Toms) don’t stick around to raise their young. That’s the hen’s job, sit on the eggs then raise the chicks. Many times you’ll see two or more hens with their little ones all together, sharing responsibilities. Toms and Jakes (yearling toms) will flock together, males of the species staying together throughout the year (for the most part), other than breeding season. Season starts Oct. 1 here in NY state.