How does the White-tailed Eagle's tail reliably differ from that of the Bald Eagle?
Answer
Shorter, more wedge-shaped, and distinctly white even in juvenile plumage
When comparing the White-tailed Eagle to its larger relative, the Bald Eagle, structural differences in the tail are a key identification feature, particularly reliable in adults. The White-tailed Eagle possesses a tail that is characteristically shorter and shaped more like a wedge. Crucially, this tail plumage is distinctly white, a feature that remains present even in the juvenile plumage stage, whereas identification features in North America for a large, pale-headed sea eagle are overwhelmingly more likely to point toward the Bald Eagle.

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