This may be a dumb question, but I'll ask it anyway. The juvie that people were calling 'checkerboard' because of the dark and white feathers all over their body - is that normal, or is that along the lines of an albino eagle? I've never seen one like that before and didn't know if it denoted something different with that juvie.
Not a dumb question,
NW. I don't think I've seen one before that had so much white. It's not albino because then it would be completely white. It could be leucistic although I don't think it is.
From this site
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/whats-the-difference-between-albino-and-leucistic"Albinism is a condition in which there is an absence of melanin, which gives color to the skin, feathers, hair and eyes. Vertebrates with albinism are not only white (or sometimes pale yellowish) in color but they also have very pale eyes, often pink or red in color as the blood vessels show through, or extremely light blue. Leucism, on the other hand, is a partial loss of pigmentation, which can make the animal have white or patchily colored skin, hair, feathers and so on, but the pigment cells in the eyes are not affected by the condition."
I don't think it's leucistic because I don't think it would be so patchy with very dark spots and white spots. That's just my opinion -- I don't know for sure. I did see a photo of one (an adult) that was labeled leucistic that does have similar patching, but I can't seem to get the link to work here on my post. (Edited: I downloaded that pic and have now attached it.) Also, it would be easier to tell if it were an adult.
I've also seen some comments wondering if it's a Golden Eagle. I don't think it's a Golden. It would be very rare to see one in this location although there are some Goldens that migrate to this area from northern Canada but that's in November. The leg feathers on Goldens grow all the way down to the toes and you don't see their yellow legs. On some of my screencaps I can clearly see some of the eagle's legs.
https://www.avianreport.com/how-to-tell-a-juvenile-golden-eagle-from-a-juvenile-bald-eagle/ Here's a pic from that site:
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