Plate 126 – White-headed Eagle

In the first edition of Birds of America, John James Audubon identifies the White-headed Eagle (present-day Bald eagle) without a white head as the “young.” In the later octavo edition, Audubon excludes the drawing of the young Bald Eagle but does explain when the Bald eagle (Plate 31) is without a white head: “This species requires at least four years before it attains the full beauty of its plumage when kept in confinement. I have known two instances in which the white of the head did not make its appearance until the sixth spring. It is impossible for me to say how much sooner this state of perfection is attained, when the bird is at full liberty.”