How old is a mature bald eagle?

about 5.5 years
Bald Eagles take about 5.5 years to mature to the typical white head and tail and solidly dark chocolate brown body, legs and wing feathers of an adult. The bald eagle above is one year old and is a dark brown over all, the chest and back are a bit lighter.

How can you tell an immature bald eagle?

Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years.

What are immature eagles called?

Raptors, including eagles, that have not reached the adult plumage stage are referred to as immature. Those in their first plumage stage are called juveniles and the term sub-adult is used to refer to any plumage stage between juvenile and adult.

How can you tell the difference between a bald eagle and an immature golden eagle?

The immature golden has distinct white patches at mid-wing, while the adult has dark undersides. The golden’s head and beak are noticeably smaller than the bald’s and protrudes about one-third as much from the body as the tail does. The bald eagle’s larger head and neck extends a similar distance as the tail.

How long does it take an eagle to mature?

It becomes fully feathered at 10 weeks of age. In its first year, the mostly dark-colored juvenile can often be mistaken as a golden eagle. However, the bald eagle progressively changes until it reaches adult plumage at five years.

What does juvenile eagles look like?

Juvenile bald eagles are a mottled brown color and bear no resemblance to adult bald eagles. They do not get their white head and tail feathers until their fourth or fifth year. In this juvenile stage, they are full-sized eagles but are often mistaken for large hawks or for golden eagles because of their coloration.

At what age do Bald Eagles heads turn white?

5 ½ years
Once a bald eagle acquires the adult plumage this is kept throughout the life of the bird. The head acquires the pure white but may show some brown flacking. Some birds take up 8 years to acquire a pure white head and neck, but most do it in 5 ½ years. The bill is now bright yellow.

What’s the lifespan of a bald eagle?

20 – 30 yearsBald eagle / Lifespan (In the wild)

Bald eagles can live for about 20 to 30 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. The bald eagle was previously listed under the Endangered Species Act, but was delisted in 2007 due to recovery efforts.