Britain's National Bird FINALLY Selected, and He's a Bully

However, this reporter, for one, still sees the eagle as more fitting than say, a turkey. It is commonly believed that Franklin actually proposed the turkey as the US national symbol. This is not true, but he does go on in the same letter to gripe that the original national seal looked like a gobbler - something still better than the bald eagle, he wrote.

"He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

Stunningly, the cowardly eagle and the brutish robin are only among a list of about 100 official and unofficial national birds. The trend has still not caught on in many well-known countries, with nations like China and Australia still lacking a nationally accepted symbol.

Canada, on the other hand, seems to share Lindo's sentiments, with The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic having announced a vote for their own national bird, the winner of which will be decided in 2017.

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