Eagles in Flight
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This post is two-fold fun! I get to share a lot of Eagles in flight and you get to compare Eagles in a few stages of plumage.
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Eagles are born dark brown with a dark beak and begin a widely-varied array of plumage of white-mottling as they mature each year.
They do not reach adulthood with their white head, white tail, and dark brown body profile until they are about five years old.
Here is a chart that I find helpful with identifying how old an Eagle might be if you’re lucky to see a close-up view of the head.
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Eagle Plumage Stages
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Bald Eagle (immature)
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Bald Eagle (immature)
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Eagle (adult)
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Bald Eagle (immature)
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Bald Eagle (immature)
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Were you able to distinguish the different ages the immatures might have been? Sometimes it can still be difficult because no two will look alike in the same stage.
The next two photos is of an immature Golden Eagle that I luckily spotted again just a few miles from my home recently. Note the differences from it to the immature Bald Eagle. The Golden Eagle has a golden nape, white patches at the base of the primary feathers, and dark brown wide band tail tip.
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Golden Eagle (immature)
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Golden Eagle (immature)
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Back to the Bald Eagle with a final three-photo series of a full-frame fly-by! It was exciting in person!
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Female Bald Eagle Fly-by
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Female Bald Eagle Fly-by
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