How Well Do You Know Your Eagles?

We are very fortunate in Northeastern Washington to be able to see two of the greatest birds on the planet. We commonly see our national symbol, the Bald_Eagle. With its classic white head and tail as bookends to its large dark body and soaring wings, this bird can be seen year round in out area.

Equally impressive but very uncommon, is the majestic hunter, the Golden_Eagle About the same size and general color as the Bald Eagle, this bird is often misidentified. Plumage variations in juvenile Bald Eagles can often lead to misidentifying these birds as Golden Eagles. Compounding the problem is the fact that we sometimes only see these birds at great distance, soaring high above us and unconcerned about our dilemma.

All photos are courtesy of the Macauley Library,  Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Mature Bald Eagles are not hard to identify with their clean white head and tail feathers, and large dark body and wings. You can also generally see their yellow "ankles" protruding down from the last leg feathers. Their beak is very large in comparison with the size f their head, making their head look much larger than that of a Golden Eagle.

Mature Bald Eagle in flight - see the yellow "ankles"?

Immature birds of both species have plumage differing from the adults. Immature Bald Eagles can take up to five years to gain their full adult plumage. Until then they can be a mess of white mottling on the wings and body and tail (but yellow ankles!!). Immature Golden Eagles are less mottled, with distinctive white "windows" on the underside of their wings and white at the base of the tail feathers. Note that their feet are nearly covered with feathers and the "ankles" barely show.

Immature Bald eagle on the left, Immature Golden Eagle on the Right. 

Mature Golden Eagles are all dark with lighter shading on the primary flight feathers (the large feathers on the ends and trailing edges of each wing). Note that their beaks are smaller in proportion to the size of the head, making their heads look smaller than the Bald Eagle. And, true to their moniker, they can display a bronze-gold cast on the feathers of the head, nape and back. 

Mature Golden eagle in flight

The other large raptors (birds of prey) of our area include the Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed_Hawk, Northern_Harrier, and Osprey. Take the time to follow the hotlinks to these birds to learn more about them.

Turkey Vulture in flight. Note distinct red head, black body and wings with light colored primary fight feathers on the trailing edge of the wings. 

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Red-tailed hawk in flight. The Red-tail is a common sight in our area. They can also come in Light and dark morphs (color variation).

Northern Harrier.  Males are light gray, females are brown on the upper side and light underneath. Note the white butt patch on each.

Osprey are expert fish catchers and will always be found near water.

I hope you will take the time to learn how to correctly identify these large birds. And especially the differences between Golden and Bald Eagles. 

Good Birding!

                            - Hawkeye