next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
I would add to Richard's info' here that it often takes 5 years for the full adult plumage to develop, and various studies of the immature plumages at Acadia University over the years, and especially in the late Cyril Coldwell's captive pens back in the 1970s and'80s showed that they are extremely variable in their colour patterns over the years and even sort-of have light and dark colour-phases. In all of the immature plumages, the wing linings (underside, near leading edges of spread wings) are white and contrast with the mostly dark rest of the wings. The colour of the belly and back etc. is quite variable. Check your field guides for the field marks of the golden eagle in both adult and immature plumages -- bald eagles never show anything resembling these. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville ---------- From: Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 21:06:18 -0400 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Eagle ID Hi Eleanor, Jeannie et al, Bald eagles take 4 years to mature and acquire full adult plumage. Generally in their 1st year they are mostly black, but then graduallymolt their feathers, and for the next 3 years have varying patterns of dark and light - often variable and splotchy, but practically always with white in the wing-pits, which can extend onto the belly - so your birds would likely be Bald eaglesin their 1st or 2nd winter plumage. Richard On 11/12/06, Jeannie <jeannies@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote: > Eleanor, > Its funny you should mention this,because when driving home from Antigonish > last Tues. I saw the same type of bird.When I first saw it ,right away I > thought immature eagle.It was circling very low above a river.I too noticed > that it was all dark with the exception of its belly which was white. > Jeannie > Jeannie Shermerhorn,Port Hawkesbury > > Cottage....Cape George,Cape Breton > > > jeannies@ns.sympatico.ca > > -- ################# Richard Stern, 317 Middle Dyke Rd., RR#1 Port Williams, NS, Canada B0P 1T0 rbstern@ns.sympatico.ca rbstern@xcountry.tv sternrichard@gmail.com ###################
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects