The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the US, after President Joe Biden signed a law on Christmas Eve bestowing the honour upon the white-headed and yellow-beaked bird of prey.

The bird has been a national emblem in the US for years, appearing on the Great Seal of the US - used on US documents - since 1782.

But it had not been officially designated to be the national bird until Congress passed the bill last week, sending it to Biden's desk to be signed.

Bald Eagle.

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle, which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the Palearctic.