Bald eagle chicks grow fast. They weigh about 3 ounces at hatching, but males can reach about 9 pounds and females 11 pounds within two months. Within 50 days, the birds can feed themselves, and within 11 or 12 weeks they are capable of flight. Eaglets big enough to leave the nest but too young to fly are known as branchers because they will often go out of the nest onto nearby branches. Young birds that are capable of flight are known as fledglings. Fledglings and subadult bald eagles are dark brown with dark beaks and eyes. As they mature, they will begin to get flecks of white in the tail and head feathers. By sexual maturity, at age 4 or 5, the head and tail will be all white, and the bill and eyes will be bright yellow. Bald eagles can live to be about 25 in the wild. To learn more about the characteristics of the bald eagle, click on any of the photos or links below. Gender differences || Eyesight || Wings, flight & migration Life stages || Why "bald" eagles? || Nesting & breeding Habitat & Threats || Predators & Predation Terms of Use - Copyright 2007 Central Vermont Public Service Copyright photos CVPS, Floyd Scholz U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Web related issues || Site developed by Interactive Media Advertising