Juvenile Bald Eagle

Human kids have a different fashion sense than adults, and juvenile Bald Eagles "dress" quite a bit differently than adults. When I saw this bird soaring overhead, my 1st thought was that it was big and dark and thus probably a vulture (Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture). But the plumage was wrong for both; from below both vultures have dark bodies with (different) lighter areas on their wings. This bird was mostly dark with some scattered speckling. This is also different from an adult Bald Eagle, which would have a white head and tail with a rich brown color elsewhere.

The previous time I got a picture of a juvenile Bald Eagle, it was in a tree next to an adult Bald Eagle. In that instance I had no trouble IDing the juvenile because no other bird the size of a Bald Eagle is (routinely) found in my area [1]. In today's picture of a soaring raptor, judging size isn't as easy.

March 29, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 270605877, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

March 29, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 270605845, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Technically a Golden Eagle could easily make the trip here, though for lots of habitat reasons they almost never do so. And in that instance the juvenile Bald Eagle was too speckled to be a Golden.

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