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The Bald Eagle ( genus Haliaeetus – sea eagles ) is the USA ’ s national bird and a fantastic sight to behold. Have you seen a Bald Eagle and were wondering if it was male or female ? Are you wondering if the head color of the USA ’ s national bird can help you work out if a Bald Eagle is male or female ?
Both adult female and male Bald Eagles have white heads, and from afar it’s difficult to tell an adult male and female Bald Eagle apart. The clearest difference between an adult male and female Bald Eagle is size. Bald Eagles are one of the few species where the female is larger than the male. An adult female Bald Eagle is around 25% larger than a male.
In this article, we explore the classifiable appearance of the Bald Eagle, explain all of the key differences between the male and female birds, and provide some matter to facts about this bewitching, iconic, and gallant bird of prey .
Bald Eagle Typical Appearance and Characteristics
Plumage
Adult Bald Eagles have very classifiable feather. The colors and design are the lapp in both male and female Bald Eagles .
The typical adult plumage appearance, in both male and female birds, is a snow-white colored head, a white-colored wedge-shaped tail, and a brown body.
eagle chicks do not have white feather on their heads. When an eagle is beginning born ( a hatchling ) it ’ s fluffy down is normally replaced by all-over benighted brown feather feather. A young eagle is ready to leave the nest ( a newcomer ) at about 3 months honest-to-god ; at this stage, the young boo will have all-over dark brown feather .
American Bald Eagle and its baby sitting on tree branch
As young male and female Bald Eagles grow and mature, their feather gradually changes from a benighted brown to a lighter embrown color, mottled with white .
A young eagle will shed and change its feathers about 4 times before it takes on the entire adult appearance with a distinctive snow-white head, white tail, and brown torso .
The whole process of changing the headway feather color from darkness brown to white takes about 5 and a half years .
besides Read : How Long Do Bald Eagles Stay With Their Parents?
Size
Adult Bald Eagles are one of North America ’ s largest birds, with a heavy muscular body and long broad wings with a wingspan stretching over 6 feet .
Other Distinctive Features
The early distinctive features of adult Bald Eagles are brightly-colored orange/yellow legs, lemon-yellow eyes, and bills that are bright orange/yellow and hooked .
Key Differences Between Males and Females
Given that both male and female Bald Eagles have the like feather colors and same feather design, it is quite unmanageable to work out if a alone Bald Eagle is male or female .
Below, we explore all of the differences between male and female Bald Eagles to help you work out if you have seen a male, or a female, Bald Eagle .
#1. Size
A Female Bald Eagle perched on the left hand side watches the surroundings with her partner on top of a cedar tree set against a clear, blue sky
When a entangle pair of adult eagles are perched side by side, it ’ s much potential to see a deviation in size between the two birds, with one boo perceptibly larger than the other dame. From this, you can work out which dame is the male, and which is the female boo .
Surprisingly, female adult bald eagles are larger than their male counterparts by about 25%.
#2. Weight
An adult male Bald Eagle ’ s system of weights averages from 8lb to 10lb, whereas an adult female Bald Eagle weighs an median of around 10lb to 14lb .
When the female of a species is larger than the male, the technical term is ‘ reversion intimate dimorphism ’. This breaks the common natural pattern that males within a species are normally bigger and stronger than females .
Reverse intimate dimorphism makes absolute sense for birds of prey, where the smaller male Bald Eagles need to be more agile and productive food hunters.
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The larger body size of the female Bald Eagle makes them more effective carers and protectors for the eggs and eagle chicks. The larger female birds will besides be able to cover and heat the eggs and the eaglets more well than the smaller males .
#3. Hallux Talon
A Bald Eagle has four talons on each foot .
Three of the talons point fore, while one points backward. The talon that points back is called the big toe, which allows the Bald Eagle to grab and carry its prey with its feet .
The hallux talon tends to be shorter in male Bald Eagles compared to those in female Bald Eagles.
#4. The Shape Of The Beak
Beak depth is another distinction between male and female Bald Eagles .
The beak depth in male Bald Eagles is usually less than that of female Bald Eagles.
Saving Our avian Resources ( SOAR ) is an administration based in Wyoming that is dedicated to saving the USA ’ s avian resources through rehabilitation, education, and research. SOAR has summarized a study on its web site of the measurements of Bald Eagle beak depths .
The study measurements were taken using a dial caliper, between the exceed of the upper beak ( upper jaw ) to the bottom point of the lower beak ( lower jaw ). In the study, male Bald Eagles had a beak astuteness range of 3.00 curium to 3.35 cm, while female Bald Eagles had a beak depth of 3.35 centimeter to 3.60 curium .
Raptor reclamation, education, and research ( soarraptors.org )
#5. The Eagle Cry
A female Bald Eagle’s calls tend to be lower in pitch than those of the male. however, it is not that easy for humans to discern the difference between a male and a female Bald Eagle cry .
Bald Eagle Interesting Facts
- The Bald Eagle was chosen as the USA’s national bird and iconic symbol of the USA because of its strength, stately appearance, longevity, and, of course, because it is native to the USA.
- A Bald Eagle’s eyes are fixed and do not move within their sockets.
- Bald Eagles have scaly legs and feet with no feathers.
- An adult Bald Eagle can carry around 4lb of prey.
- Bald Eagles are apex predators and eat mostly fish and other birds. They will also catch and eat small mammals. Larger, bolder Bald Eagles have been known to attack and eat larger mammals such as deer fawns.
- A Bald Eagle can soar at a speed of about 30mph, and dive at speeds of up to 100mph.
- Adult Bald Eagles form mating pairs and mate for life. If one of the pair dies, generally the other will search for, and settle with, another mate.
- A female Bald Eagle typically lays two eggs in each hatch.
- The average lifespan of a wild Bald Eagle is 20 to 30 years.
- Bald Eagles are not actually bald. The name Bald Eagle comes from an archaic English word ‘piebald’ which means ‘white-headed’. It is thought also that the name comes from the fact that, from afar, a Bald Eagle may appear bald as its white head contrasts against its dark brown body.
- The Bald Eagle’s habitat covers most of North America, including all 50 US states, except the most northerly parts of Canada and Alaska, and most of Mexico. Bald Eagles do migrate south to avoid the very cold Canadian winters.
- The size of Bald Eagles varies by location and generally corresponds with the Bergmann Rule. This rule generally states that the size of the animals within a species increases with distance away from the equator and the tropics. So, Bald Eagles from Florida or South Carolina, for example, usually will be smaller than Bald Eagles from Alaska or Canada.
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Final Thoughts
male and female Bald Eagles look identical exchangeable from afar. They both have the same feather patterns and colors – a white pass and tail, and a body covered in brown feather. sol, in answer to the motion ‘ Do Female Bald Eagles Have White Heads ? ’ The suffice is yes, adult female Bald Eagles do have white-colored heads .
The main difference between female and male Bald Eagles is size. Females are larger than male Bald Eagles, by about 25%. The size difference benefits their respective roles – the male as the agile hunter, the female as the carer and protector of the eggs, and eagle chicks.
other differences between male and female Bald Eagles can be found if you are able to look or listen close – the beak depth, the big toe talon size, and the eagle cry or screech .
The National Eagle Center and the american Eagle Foundation are big resources for all things eagle-related. You can follow these links :
National Eagle Center – Wabasha, Minnesota
Bald Eagle – USA ’ s National Symbol | American Eagle Foundation ( eagles.org )
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.