The Bald Eagle is named for the white heads of the adult birds. It was named by American colonists at a time when bald meant "white, not hairless". It takes about 5 years for about five years for the distinctive while feathers of the head and tail to gradually appear. Immature bald eagles are a mottled brown and white, and the young birds have a black beak as apposed to the adult's yellow beak.
