Eagles, Condors and Falcons as National Birds
16 countries have a bird of prey as their national bird: an eagle in 9 (Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, the United States and Zambia); the Andean condor in 4 (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador); and a falcon in 3 (Iceland, Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates). Each country links to a page with the story behind the choice and the sources.
Eagles 9 countries
Egypt: Steppe eagleAquila nipalensis
The steppe eagle is named as Egypt's national animal by BBC Wildlife and Egyptian media, and with no law naming a national animal, the title rests on tradition and on the eagle's place in the national emblem. It is often called the Saladin eagle, after Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt, for whom it was a prized bird, and the Eagle of Saladin has been Egypt's coat of arms since the mid-1980s. Accounts differ, however, on whether the eagle Saladin used as his standard was a steppe eagle or a golden eagle.
Germany: Golden eagleAquila chrysaetos
Germany's emblem, the Bundesadler or federal eagle, is a heraldic eagle, and the official rules of 1950 describe only the emblem, not a kind of bird. Of the real birds, the golden eagle is the one most often connected with it: the Bavarian State Office for the Environment notes that many countries, including Germany, have chosen it as their heraldic animal, although some writers argue for the white-tailed eagle instead.
Indonesia: Javan hawk-eagleNisaetus bartelsi
Presidential Decree No. 4 of 1993 named the Javan hawk-eagle one of Indonesia's three national animals, representing the air, as the 'rare animal'.
Mexico: Golden eagleAquila chrysaetos
The Mexican government identifies the eagle at the center of the coat of arms, which also sits in the middle of the national flag, as the golden eagle, called águila real in Spanish. The scene recalls the traditional story of how the Mexica, often called the Aztecs, founded Tenochtitlan on an island in a lake where Mexico City stands today, which makes the eagle one of the oldest and most familiar images in the country.
Panama: Harpy eagleHarpia harpyja
Law No. 18 of 10 April 2002 declares the harpy eagle the national bird of Panama and states that it has represented the nation since pre-Columbian times; every 10 April the country celebrates Harpy Eagle Day. The choice fits Panama well, because the environment ministry says the country has the largest harpy eagle population in Central America, especially in the forests of Darién.
Philippines: Philippine eaglePithecophaga jefferyi
A presidential proclamation declared the Philippine eagle the national bird in 1995. Its size, strength and rarity make it a proud symbol of the country's natural heritage, it lives only in the Philippines, and the title also helped raise awareness of how threatened it is.
Poland: White-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicilla
Poland's coat of arms shows a crowned white eagle on a red shield, and a white bird resembling an eagle has been the emblem of the Polish state since 1295. The law describes only a heraldic eagle, but many historians believe its model was the white-tailed eagle, and the National Bank of Poland points to the bird's great size, majestic look and pale tail.
United States: Bald eagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
The bald eagle has represented the United States since 1782, when it was placed at the center of the Great Seal holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows. For more than two centuries it was treated as the national bird without a law that said so, until a bill naming it the official national bird was signed into law in December 2024.
Zambia: African fish eagleHaliaeetus vocifer
An African fish eagle has flown on Zambia's flag since independence on 24 October 1964, where it is said to stand for freedom and the people's ability to rise above the nation's problems, and the same eagle appears on the coat of arms adopted that year. Because the bird is on both the flag and the coat of arms, it is widely regarded as the national bird, a natural choice for a country of great rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Andean condor 4 countries
Bolivia: Andean condorVultur gryphus
The Andean condor crowns Bolivia's coat of arms, and Supreme Decree No. 241 of 2009 calls it the representative bird of Bolivia. Law No. 1525 of 9 November 2023 then declared it a symbol and natural and cultural heritage of the country.
Chile: Andean condorVultur gryphus
The Andean condor stands beside the huemul on Chile's coat of arms, adopted by law in 1834, and is regarded as Chile's national bird.
Colombia: Andean condorVultur gryphus
An Andean condor with its wings spread crowns Colombia's coat of arms, set by Law 3 of 9 May 1834, holding a laurel wreath with the national motto Libertad y Orden (Freedom and Order). It is a symbol shared with Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador, where the great bird stands for the high mountains that run through the region.
Ecuador: Andean condorVultur gryphus
The Andean condor has been on Ecuador's coat of arms since the 1830s; a decree of 6 November 1845 placed a condor with outspread wings on top of the shield, and the current arms, adopted in 1900, keep it there. Ecuadorian sources say it stands for power, greatness and pride, as well as energy and effort. No law names a national animal or bird, but the condor is widely treated as the country's emblematic bird, and every 7 July is National Andean Condor Day.
Falcons 3 countries
Iceland: GyrfalconFalco rusticolus
The gyrfalcon has never been named by law or official vote, but it has the strongest claim: according to Perlan, the nature museum in Reykjavík, most Icelanders see the falcon, fálki in Icelandic, as their national bird. A silver falcon on blue was Iceland's coat of arms from 1903 to 1919, replacing the crowned stockfish, and the falcon also names the Order of the Falcon, chosen because falcons were precious gifts to dignitaries and valuable exports from Iceland in past centuries.
Mongolia: Saker falconFalco cherrug
Government of Mongolia Resolution No. 101 of 20 October 2012 declared the saker falcon (shonkhor) Mongolia's national pride bird, as a symbol of the Mongolian people's vigor, freedom and unity, to mark the 850th anniversary of the birth of Chinggis Khaan.
United Arab Emirates: FalconFalco spp.
The falcon is widely called the UAE's national bird; a falcon badge is a formal emblem of the federal government and appears on passports and banknotes, but no source naming a specific species or a designation act was found.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have an eagle as their national bird?
An eagle is the national bird of Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, the United States and Zambia.
Which countries have the Andean condor as their national bird?
The Andean condor is the national bird of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
Which countries have a falcon as their national bird?
A falcon is the national bird of Iceland, Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates.
How this list is made
This list is drawn from our national animal pages. A country is included when its national animal, or its national bird where a reliable source confirms one, belongs to this group.
- Officially designated Named by a law, decree or government act.
- National symbol Widely recognized through a coat of arms, flag, currency, public vote or long tradition, without a specific law.