The Most Beautiful National Flags With Animals

There are many countries that have decided to insert, in their coats of arms, symbols that recall elements of the flora and fauna, typical of their territory. This is why there are several  national flags with animals, often chosen to represent a certain value or to emphasize the strength and nobility of a people.

In this article we will show you some of the  national flags with the most interesting animals , explaining their history and many other curiosities related to them. Are you ready to discover them together?

What are national flags with animals?

Leaving aside the beings that belong to mythology (such as dragons), in this case we will focus exclusively on animals that appear on the flags of countries that are either real or represent an “adaptation” of a particular species.

1. Aquila (Mexico)

The national flag of Mexico – in the photo that opens this article – was adopted in 1968 and consists of three vertical colors: green, white and red  (from left to right, like the Italian one). There are two theories as to why these tones were chosen. On the one hand, it is stated that they represent independence, faith and unity. On the other hand, they could indicate the hope, unity and blood of the heroes who lost their lives in the name of the country’s honor.

In the center of this flag we find the national coat of arms. It is here that the golden eagle appears, a representative bird of the Mexican country, intent on capturing a rattlesnake, rising above a cactus.

2. Leo (Sri Lanka)

In fact, it is a drawn version of this feline, known in heraldry as the “passing lion” and which holds a sword in its right paw. This animal is full of symbolism and that is why it was chosen: it represents the Sinhalese ethnic group, the sovereignty of the nation, Buddhism, meditation, purity of words. But also intelligence and good health.

3. Crane (Uganda)

The animals that appear in national flags are not always the same and, over the course of history, they can change or be replaced. However, this is not the case in Uganda. This Central African country, squeezed between Congo, Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania, has included in its flag a crane that has remained, updating itself, in all the official versions from 1914 to 1962, until today.

It is made up of six horizontal stripes and, from top to bottom, the colors are: black, yellow, red, black, yellow and red. In the center, the national bird appears inserted in a white circle. The crane, one of the best known wading birds, lives in the wetlands of the country and its long legs allow it to walk in the water.

4. Double-headed eagle (Albania)

Although the double-headed eagle does not exist, it is a symbol taken from heraldry in honor of the eagle that lives in much of Europe and is present in several continental shields.

5. Imperial Amazon (Dominica)

The last of the national flags with animals we tell you about in this list is that of Dominica, one of the most fascinating islands in the Caribbean Sea. Here we find a specimen of the Imperial Amazon ( Amazona Imperialis ), placed in the center of the flag since 1978. The main color is green, with two yellow, white and black stripes and a red circle with ten stars – one for each fraction of the island – and the parrot in the center.

The Imperial Amazon has green and purple plumage, measures approximately 45 centimeters in length, and nests in tree holes. It is an animal endemic to these islands belonging to the Lesser Antilles , where it is also considered the national bird. It feeds on fruits and seeds and is now in danger of extinction due to illegal hunting and the destruction of its habitat .