Peter Jefferson was a bald eagle who lived at the

Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national ...

from until 1836. He became well known after a while and was let out of the Mint each night to fly around the city of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Background on Bald Eagles

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a large

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the Accipitridae family. They are the

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. National birds See al ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and represent America. They are seen as a symbol of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

and freedom. The bald eagle can be seen on many official US documents including

passports A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

, dollar bills and most notably, the back of all

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

s. Their head is white making them “bald” and their feathered body and

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

are dark brown. Their eyes,

talons A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...

, and hooked

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food ...

are yellow. They are the second largest bird of

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

and have a lengthy

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

of about 168-244 cm. Bald eagles reside in forests close to bodies of water and prey. They can be spotted throughout the

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

but particularly in colder climates up north. Their

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

varies by location but they mainly consume fish and small mammals. Bald eagles find their prey by sitting on a perch or soaring over the land, since they are able to see up to a mile.

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

is abundant with forests and water sources, making it a place where many eagles live. The city of

, Peter’s hometown, is considered a great place to look for eagles due to its proximity to the Delaware River, a place to hunt for prey.

Life of Peter the Eagle

In the mid-1830s, Peter the bald eagle became a known figure in the city of

. Peter resided in the

, a contrast from an eagle’s typical habitat. Founded in 1792, The

was the first mint in the

and responsible for the production of

coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

. During the day Peter would stay indoors and fly around the mint. The workers loved having Peter be alongside them. Peter was considered an exemplary employee of the

. Every night, Peter was let out and would fly around the city. He would return by morning before the workers arrived. While perched on a coining press one day, the

machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to na ...

suddenly started. His wing got caught in the

coining press A coining press is a manually operated machine that mints coins from planchets. After centuries it was replaced by more modern machines. Presses came in multiple shapes and with different accessories (to collect the coins, etc.) They were mad ...

and he became badly injured and unable to fly. While many mint workers tried to help Peter, his wing was in too poor of a condition and he ultimately passed away.

Legacy

To pay homage to Peter, the mint employees took him to get

taxidermied Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

. He can be admired with his wings stretched out at the main entrance of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

to greet his visitors. He has been on display for over 150 years. Peter is said to have been the model for the image of an eagle on the silver dollars issued from 1836 to 1839 and the

Flying Eagle cent The Flying Eagle cent is a one- cent piece struck by the Mint of the United States as a pattern coin in 1856 and for circulation in 1857 and 1858. The coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based o ...

of 1856-1858.

References

{{reflist 1836 animal deaths Individual eagles Individual animals in the United States

Background on Bald Eagles

Life of Peter the Eagle

Legacy

See also

References