White Tips. This Bald Eagle has Leucism, a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in this bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal. This eagles wing tips have gone white, as well as its talons. It is one of the most beautiful birds in flight as the wing tips really accent its motion.
White Tips only has partial leucism, making it a pied eagle, or a piebald eagle. White Tips has a very unique patterning due to his leucism: white wing tips and white talons. There are five white feathers on the tip of each wing. White Tips’ talons are completely white, not black as is normal for bald eagle talons.
The leucistic Bald Eagle was a joy to photograph. The piebald eagle’s white-tipped wings really shine while it is in flight similar to a magpie in flight, as the individual coloring accents the flapping of the wings in a very special way.
Stock Image #20101011-160613B