President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United States Code to correct what had long gone unnoticed and designate the bald eagle — familiar to many because of its white head, yellow beak and brown body — as the national bird.

The bald eagle has been lauded as a symbol of the United States, but it wasn't officially the national bird until Tuesday.

Uncle Sam, a 25-year-old bald eagle, sits on his perch in front of a U.S. flag Sept. 11, 2013, before the Extreme Raptors Show at the Permian Basin Fair in