13/12/2023
Juvenile & Immature Bald Eagles
Avian Report 10/29/2020Juvenile & Immature Bald Eagles2020-10-30T02:34:06+00:00
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one of the most emblematic and recognizable North American birds.
Most people are familiar with the appearance of an adult bald eagle. Still, few recognize juvenile and immature plumages that precede the impressive white-headed plumage of the adult.
This article describes the age and plumages that juvenile and immature bald eagles go through before attaining the adult plumage.
Familiarizing with these stages will help you identify and age the often confusing juvenile and immature bald eagles.
Juvenile and immature bald eagles have a rather variable plumage. Juvenile birds (½ year) have the least variable plumage. However, birds from 1 ½ through 4 ½ years of age show some of the more diverse and unpredictable plumages. Bird of the same age can have completely different plumages. At 4 ½ years all plumages converge into the adult or definitive plumage, which is acquired at the age of 5 ½ years of age. The adult plumage does not change for the rest of the bird’s life and it is the same in the male and female eagle.
