Here’s a lovely bald eagle tattoo. The bold black border around the head is extremely striking.

First off, bald is an old word for white-headed. It doesn’t mean without hair or feathers for this bird of prey.

The Bald Eagle is  the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. It’s seen as a symbol of strength. It is found in North America from Canada to northern Mexico.

The Bald Eagle is a sacred bird for some North American indigenous cultures. Eagles are considered spiritual messengers between gods and humans by some cultures. For the Choctaw, the Bald Eagle has direct contact with the upper world of the sun, and is also a symbol of peace

The bald eagle’s feathers, like those of the Golden Eagle, are central to many religious and spiritual customs among Native Americans, and adorn bustles and head dresses.

Eagle feathers are often used in traditional ceremonies – The Lakota, for instance, give an eagle feather as a symbol of honor to person who achieves a task. In modern times, it may be given on an event such as a graduation from college.

This bird has come back from being on the endangered species list in the US. It’s numbers have since replenished and it was removed from the list in 2007.

photo credit: micaeltattoo