This 16 x 20 art print is printed on high quality lithograph art paper and is ready to frame.

The thumbnail image has been cropped to just a portion of the picture for clarity. Click the Enlarge link to see the full picture.

The eagle is the national bird of the United States. It narrowly defeated the turkey for this honor.

Eagles nearly became extinct in the lower 48 states in the 1970s due to poaching and DDT poisoning in the food chain, which caused eagle eggs to have thin shells that broke too easily.

Since DDT was outlawed and the eagle was placed on the endangered species list, they have made a healthy comeback in some areas. Today, they are only classed as threatened in some states. Eagles are plentiful in the state of Alaska.

It is a federal crime in the US to harass an eagle, or even pick up a dropped feather you may find. The punishment for posession of an eagle feather is a fine of up to $1,000.00 PER FEATHER and/or 20 years in federal prision, and this law is taken very seriously.

Native American Indians from a Federally Recognized Indian tribe may apply for a permit to obtain eagle feathers for ceremonial use. The average wait is three years. The feathers come from dead eagles turned in to the Parks and Game Departments.

Indians who have a permit cannot sell the feathers, and the feathers must be accompianied by the proper paperwork when they are transported to pow wows and other ceremonial gatherings.

Hand painted turkey feathers that are painted to resemble eagle feathers are often used in native american craftwork.