Photo courtesy of the American Eagle Foundation
It’s time for the two new eaglets at the National Arboretum to ditch the drab names “DC4” and “DC5” and get ones more fitting of being offspring to Bald eagles “Mr. President” and “The First Lady.”
The American Eagle Foundation is giving the public a chance to suggest names for the fuzzy grey birds that hatched two weeks ago atop a Tulip Poplar tree at the Northeast site.
The foundation’s naming campaign launched today and runs through April 18. To participate, people have to post two suggested names on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accompanied by the hashtags #NameTheNestlings and #DCEagleCam.
“Symbolic, creative, and gender-neutral names will stand out the most!” according to a foundation release.
Last year, voters chose the names “Freedom” and “Liberty” for the eaglets formerly known as “DC2” and “DC3.” Other options included Cherry and Blossom, Potomac and Anacostia, Honor and Glory, and Stars and Stripes. (The foundation didn’t have a livestream feed or naming campaign when Mr. President and The First Lady hatched “DC1” in 2015.)
There will be another round of voting on April 24 with the top five name pairs—participants can be notified about this process by entering their emails on the D.C. Eagle Cam site, where “millions of people worldwide have been watching and listening to this ‘First Family’ of eagles 24/7,” according to the foundation.
The winning names will be announced in early May.