The eagle has stood for sovereignty and power since antiquity, carried from Roman legionary standards through the Holy Roman Empire and into the national symbols of dozens of modern states. Not every eagle-bearing nation puts the bird on its actual national flag, though. Several, including Poland, Austria, and Serbia, reserve the eagle for a state or coat-of-arms version of the flag, flying a plain tricolor for everyday and civilian use. The countries below are ones where the eagle appears on the flag flown day to day.
Mexico
A golden eagle devouring a serpent while perched on a cactus, drawn from an Aztec founding legend.
Egypt
The Eagle of Saladin, centered in gold on the flag’s white middle stripe.
Albania
A black double-headed eagle on a red field, tracing back to the 15th-century resistance leader Skanderbeg.
Moldova
An eagle holding a cross, an olive branch, and a scepter, drawn from the country’s coat of arms.
Montenegro
A golden double-headed eagle beneath a lion, set against a deep red field.
Zambia
An orange fish eagle in flight above the flag’s colored bars, one of the few eagles shown mid-flight rather than posed.
Kazakhstan
A golden steppe eagle beneath a sun, on a sky-blue field associated with the country’s nomadic heritage.