# Why does the American bald eagle face left (from the viewer's perspective)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202 "2014-12-14T13:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/1 "2014-12-14T13:04:46Z")
Why does the American bald eagle face left (from the viewer’s perspective)? It appears to be looking west. Does this have anything to do with early American aspirations to settle westward. I haven’t been able to find a satisfactory answer. I look forward to your feedback. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/2 "2014-12-14T14:21:28Z")
This perhaps answers my question. > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! The eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch, symbolizing a preference for peace. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/3 "2014-12-14T15:06:43Z")
A preference for peace? That’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/4 "2014-12-14T15:23:38Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > A preference for peace? That’s hilarious. **Moderator Note** **Reply** , political jabs are not permitted in GQ. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/5 "2014-12-14T15:27:32Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > **Reply** , political jabs are not permitted in GQ. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator That counts as a political jab? All right, I’ll be more careful in the future. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/6 "2014-12-14T15:50:42Z")
Heraldic animals tend to face towards the viewer’s left because that way they would face forward if the shield from a traditional coat of arms was a real one, worn on the left arm. For basically the same reason animals on flags tend to face the hoist, i.e. left in the default depiction. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/7 "2014-12-14T15:56:13Z")
Is it the same reason that all the presidents on American coins face left? (Except for Lincoln, that rebel.) ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/8 "2014-12-14T16:50:28Z")
I think they’re all just showing their “best side.” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/9 "2014-12-14T17:23:31Z")
It is still an arbitrary direction as it just begs the question - why then are the olive branches held in that talon? Is there an intended symbolic meaning to which talon holds which? Nah. It is just the [traditional position of animal profiles in heraldry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_(heraldry)). > [@](#): > > Animals and animal-like creatures are presumed to be shown in profile, facing dexter (the viewer’s left), and humans and human-like beings are presumed to be shown affronté (facing the viewer) … A bird displayed is shown affronté with its head turned to dexter and wings spread to the sides to fill the area of the field. This position is presumed of the eagle, and the symbolic use of eagles in this position was well established even before the development of heraldry, going back to Charlemagne.[13] ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/10 "2014-12-14T17:31:52Z")
That “nah” may be overstated. The direction that the eagle looks is just the traditional position of eagles in heraldry, but the olive branch in the right talon may still have an intended meaning of a preference for peace as the bearers right side (dexter) is generally considered the side of greater power and significance in heraldry. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-american-bald-eagle-face-left-from-the-viewers-perspective/707202/11 "2014-12-15T00:08:53Z")
Thank you all. Very helpful. davidmich