Are Bald Eagles Actually “Bald”?

Have you ever wondered if Bald Eagles are actually bald? Let’s find out!

Bald Eagles get the name bald after an old English word “balde” which means white.

The word bald pays tribute to these birds white feathered heads and white tail feathers which are one of the key factors that we all use to identify the species.

So how do these guys and gals get their iconic white feathers? It’s a long but very amazing process!

Bald Eagles are actually born with a fluffy white down but as they grow, their white down will change into a gray wooly down. This change normally happens around the first four weeks of the eaglets life.

When the eaglet turns 5 weeks old, their black and brown feahered plumage will begin to grow out.

Around 10 weeks old the eaglet will be fully covered in their adult dark black plumage. Some will mistaken the juvenile as a Golden Eagle.

The “teenage” eagle will keep their dark colored feathers for the first 6 months of their life.

After 6 months have gone by, the eagle will then begin transitioning from their dark head and tail feathers into a lighter creamish white feathers.

The eagle will continue to molt year after year until it’s head and tail feathers are completely covered in white plumage. This normally occurs at around 5 years of age.

So the “nest” time (oh excuse me!) The next time that ya’ll see a Bald Eagle try to remember how long of a process it is for these beautful birds to have their reigning feathers!