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Do not trust Merlin for most photo IDs.
It’s not a 3-4 year bird because those would have much more white on the head and breast.
Bald Eagles can have a lot of variety. Usually when they're three, their heads are beginning to get white and they get what those of us who watch them call Osprey eye (they have the dark stripe across their eye like an Osprey.) We released a rehabilitated 3-year-old a couple weeks ago. She was white all over her body. I've seen them with lots of white, some with not so much. However, this particular photo, if it is a Bald I would say is 2 or younger. When they're 4, they begin to get the trademark white head and tail. We had a just turned 5-year-old who still had dark streaking on her head. She was referred to in our area as "dirty eagle". She gradually lost the dark, leaving some black spots on her head, which she has since lost after 3 years of nesting (the kids turned her head white. lol) I've never seen a Golden because they're not in our area.
I think your misunderstanding what I’m saying with my posts in this thread. I’m saying that it’s a 1-2 year old bird, and not a 3-4 year bird because it doesn’t have much white.
I suspect Merlin said Golden because of the golden "beard" shown in this picture. However, I agree we must be mindful of color in photos which can be affected by light and other factors. I do find Merlin to be quite accurate for the most part.
Agreed. I did say I agreed that this one in the photo was 2 or younger. I was just giving background on aging eagles. However, they can vary.
