{"id":53772,"date":"2017-11-22T05:51:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T12:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=53772"},"modified":"2017-11-22T20:52:50","modified_gmt":"2017-11-23T03:52:50","slug":"a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles-and-how-to-distinguish-immature-bald-eagles-from-golden-eagles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/22\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles-and-how-to-distinguish-immature-bald-eagles-from-golden-eagles\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide To Aging Bald Eagles And How To Distinguish Immature Bald Eagles From Golden Eagles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Almost five years ago (1\/27\/13)\u00a0I published a post entitled &#8220;A Guide To Aging Bald Eagles&#8221;. With over 71,000\u00a0views to date that post has been my most popular so I decided it was\u00a0overdue for an update and enhancements. For this version I&#8217;ve made the following changes:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>much of the text has been rewritten for purposes of\u00a0accuracy and clarification<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>three images have been added<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>a section about distinguishing immature Bald Eagles from Golden\u00a0Eagles has been included<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>formatting has been cleaned up and the title\u00a0modified<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As we approach prime eagle watching season here in northern Utah I thought it might be timely to present a guide that\u00a0would be helpful in aging Bald Eagles as they progress through the 5-6 year plumage stages of\u00a0becoming those glorious white-headed and white-tailed adults we&#8217;re all so familiar with. And since many\u00a0immature Bald Eagles so\u00a0strongly resemble Golden Eagles\u00a0I&#8217;ve included\u00a0information and photos that should be helpful in distinguishing the two.<\/p>\n<p>Raptors, including eagles,\u00a0that have not reached the adult plumage\u00a0stage are referred to as <em>immature<\/em>.\u00a0Those in their first plumage stage are called <em>juveniles<\/em> and the term <em>sub-adult<\/em> is used to refer to any plumage stage between juvenile and adult.\u00a0Depending on molt sequence, age and timing plumage stages are highly variable\u00a0so other factors like\u00a0iris and beak color are\u00a0also taken into account when estimating age. Eyes gradually change from dark brown to yellow\u00a0while the\u00a0beak goes from blackish-gray to yellow as they mature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11901\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-adult-2172\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,708\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald-eagle adult 2172\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11901 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-adult-2172\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172.jpg\" alt=\"bald-eagle adult 2172\" width=\"900\" height=\"708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-adult-2172-400x314.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/4000, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0The adult Bald Eagle is unmistakable with its distinctive bright white head and tail contrasting with the dark brown body and wings.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11890\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,749\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1312803633&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 0320 juvenile ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11890 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 0320 juvenile ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley-150x124.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0320-juvenile-ron-dudley-400x332.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc,\u00a0not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But immature Bald Eagles present very differently than adults, especially in the early stages of development. This juvenile is barely fledged and was still hanging around its nest in southwest Montana. Notice that the plumage is dark brownish-black\u00a0throughout, though they may\u00a0have some white or pale mottling at this stage\u00a0especially on the underparts. Both eye and beak are very dark.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11896\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1297939313&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 7024 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11896 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 7024 ron dudley\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley.jpg 600w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7024-ron-dudley-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is a first year bird during winter. There&#8217;s already some color change in the eye.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11947\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,660\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1297847659&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 6590 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11947 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 6590 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley-150x110.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-6590-ron-dudley-400x293.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/800, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A side view of the same bird as in the previous image.\u00a0The warm, early morning light gives it a bit of a golden glow that wouldn&#8217;t normally be seen.\u00a0 This stage in particular is often confused with the Golden Eagle.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11893\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"771,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1235038138&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 2298 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11893 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 2298 ron dudley\" width=\"771\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley.jpg 771w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley-128x150.jpg 128w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2298-ron-dudley-400x466.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/3200, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Plumage colors\u00a0after the first year become increasingly variable.\u00a0There is more white mottling ventrally\u00a0and the beak and cere are becoming less dark.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11897\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,594\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1298884651&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 7599 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11897 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 7599 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-7599-ron-dudley-400x264.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0The\u00a0iris is beginning its transformation to yellow and there&#8217;s also some yellow at the base of the beak.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11894\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1266922966&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 2363 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11894 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 2363 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-2363-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1250, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As plumage stages develop through the second and third sub-adult\u00a0years the tail\u00a0becomes whiter with a dark terminal band and more white appears elsewhere.\u00a0The beak is less dark and as the head becomes lighter it generally leaves a darker &#8220;eye stripe&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11889\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1233563537&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 0226 3rd year ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11889 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 0226 3rd year ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-0226-3rd-year-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1000, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The eye is becoming more yellow and the eye-stripe is\u00a0quite distinctive and often similar to that of an Osprey.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11891\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,614\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1233652799&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 1297 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11891 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 1297 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley-150x102.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1297-ron-dudley-400x272.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The beak is becoming more yellow (though not as bright as in the adult). Some birds at this stage (like this one) exhibit a few secondary flight feathers that are longer than the rest at the trailing edge of the wing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11917\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,682\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1261820665&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 8499 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11917 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 8499 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-8499-ron-dudley-400x303.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/640, 7.1, ISO 800, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>By the fourth year (though there&#8217;s much variation) they&#8217;re in transition from immature plumage to full adulthood. The head is mostly white with some dark flecking especially\u00a0around the eye and forehead near the cere. The tail now lacks the dark terminal band and the beak is nearly completely yellow.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"53787\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/22\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles-and-how-to-distinguish-immature-bald-eagles-from-golden-eagles\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,680\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1261743180&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 8384b ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-53787 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-8384b-ron-dudley-400x302.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/2500, f\/8, ISO 500, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A closer look at the same bird allows a better view of the detail of the dark flecking and the beak and eye color at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11895\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,675\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1297083861&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 3237 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11895 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 3237 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3237-ron-dudley-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0This bird is very nearly in full adult plumage.\u00a0The tail is now bright white but there remains a small amount of dark flecking on the head.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11902\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,667\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald-eagle-3875 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11902 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald-eagle-3875 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley-150x111.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-3875-ron-dudley-400x296.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1250, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A fully mature adult.\u00a0Both head and tail are now completely white with overall dark brown plumage elsewhere. This bird has fish blood on its beak and if you look closely you&#8217;ll see that it has a &#8220;blown eye&#8221; (misshapen pupil, possibly due to injury).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11892\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,585\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1228811221&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 1454 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11892 size-full\" title=\"\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 1454 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-1454-ron-dudley-400x260.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Here\u00a0we can compare three plumage stages of Bald Eagles\u00a0in one photo &#8211; a sub-adult on the left, a juvenile in the middle and a mature adult on the right.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11899\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;11&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1233310896&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 9847 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11899 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 9847 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9847-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/800, f\/11, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0An adult and a first winter\u00a0juvenile up close.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11900\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/27\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;11&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 40D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1233311521&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 9961 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11900 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"bald eagle 9961 ron dudley\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/bald-eagle-9961-ron-dudley-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>1\/1000, f\/11, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>An adult on the right, a juvenile on the left and a sub-adult with some interesting mottling in the middle.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"44731\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/01\/my-favorite-photo-from-2016-any-guesses\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1474794589&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-44731 size-full\" title=\"golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/golden-eagle-5979b-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/1250, f\/7.1, ISO 640, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>One of the most common ID errors I see in the field is folks confusing immature Bald Eagles with Golden Eagles (the image above is of a Golden Eagle). Almost invariably novices will call any\u00a0very large dark raptor a Golden Eagle while in most\u00a0North American habitats\u00a0it&#8217;s much more likely to be an immature Bald. Here are some guidelines that can be used to distinguish Goldens from immature Balds.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Golden Eagles have a distinctive golden nape (back of neck) that is usually easily seen in direct light and\u00a0is completely lacking in Bald Eagles of any age.<\/li>\n<li>Though it can&#8217;t be seen well in this photo the legs of Golden Eagles are feathered all the way down to the toes while the lower legs (tarsi)\u00a0of Bald Eagles are not feathered.<\/li>\n<li>Typical of most fishing eagles Bald Eagles have a very large bill, noticeably larger than that of Golden Eagles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are other more subtle plumage\u00a0differences that I&#8217;ve chosen not to include here.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"53780\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/22\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles-and-how-to-distinguish-immature-bald-eagles-from-golden-eagles\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"720,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1297112364&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bald eagle 4375b ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-53780 size-full\" title=\"bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley.jpg 720w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bald-eagle-4375b-ron-dudley-400x500.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Another helpful tool is\u00a0behavior and habitat. Golden Eagles very rarely feed on fish and\u00a0as a result\u00a0they&#8217;re less likely to be found in aquatic habitats\u00a0so if the eagle you&#8217;re attempting to ID is associated with fish, fishing or aquatic habitats it&#8217;s very likely to be an immature Bald Eagle. That&#8217;s not an absolute guarantee but it&#8217;s a helluva clue.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For many of us\u00a0Bald Eagle season is almost upon us so I hope these tips and guidelines will be helpful to my readers. After all, no one wants to misidentify an eagle\u00a0of\u00a0either species!<\/p>\n<p>Ron<\/p>\n<p><em>Notes:\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>For this updated version I&#8217;ve used several resources for guidance including &#8220;Birds Of North America Online&#8221;, my own photos and knowledge and friend and raptor expert Jerry Liguori&#8217;s excellent book &#8220;Hawks\u00a0From Every Angle &#8211; How To Identify Raptors In Flight&#8221;.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>It&#8217;s possible that the third and fourth photos from the bottom in this series were baited.\u00a0I learned after the fact that on some days photographers had been moving some of the carp the eagles were\u00a0feeding on\u00a0to more photogenic locations.\u00a0I don&#8217;t believe the birds in these two images were baited, but it is\u00a0possible.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>I believe all of the images in this post were taken with my Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS\u00a0USM lens (either version I or version II) though I ran out of time to verify.\u00a0Most of the\u00a0photos were taken at Farmington Bay WMA in northern Utah.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost five years ago I published a post entitled &#8220;A Guide To Aging Bald Eagles&#8221;. With over 71,000 views to date that post has been my most popular ever so I decided it was overdue for an update and enhancements. For this version I&#8217;ve added three images and made other improvements.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/22\/a-guide-to-aging-bald-eagles-and-how-to-distinguish-immature-bald-eagles-from-golden-eagles\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[355,334,392,642],"tags":[43,1180,3675,1179,153,3000,400,768,190,1177,3676,3674],"class_list":["post-53772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bald-eagles","category-birds","category-feeding-bird-behaviors","category-golden-eagles","tag-bald-eagle","tag-beak-color","tag-differences-between-bald-eagle-and-golden-eagle","tag-eye-color","tag-golden-eagle","tag-golden-nape","tag-haliaeetus-leucocephalus","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-plumage-stages","tag-subault","tag-telling-age"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bald-eagle-2172-ron-dudley.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1zzJh-dZi","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}