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Eyes


Red-Tail - same individual
           Immature - less than one year old
                      Pale yellow-brown
           Two-Years Old
                      Color rises from the bottom and begins to turn the eye to a dark brown
           Four-Years Old
                      Color is now a solid mahogany




Great Horned Owl
           Immature
                      Yellow
           Mature
                      Yellow




Golden Eagle
           Immature
                      Golden or dark brown
           Mature
                      Golden or dark brown




Merlin
           Immature
                      Dark brown
           Mature
                      Dark brown to black




Kestrel
           Immature
                      Dark brown
           Two-Years Old
                      Dark brown to black




Prairie Falcon
           Immature
                      Dark brown
           Fourteen Years Old
                      Dark brown to black




Bald Eagle
           Immature
                      Brown or pale brown
           Mature
                      Bright pale yellow or buff




Eurasian Eagle Owl - same individual
           Eyass
                      Bright orange
           Immature
                      Bright orange
           Mature




Gyrfalcon
           Immature
                      Dark brown
           Mature
                      Dark brown to black




Goshawk
           Immature - chick
                      Blue Image courtesy of Becky Brunotte.
           Immature - brancher to first moult
                      Yellow or tan
           Mature - Two-Year Old
                      As the bird matures the eyes become orange, then red
           Mature - Seven-Year Old
                      Here the bird's eye is beginning to turn red with the top still retaining some of the murky orange color. Image courtesy of Dion Thomson.
           Mature - Seven-Year Old
                      Here the bird's eye is a solid red. Goshawks from the Southern United States typically develop more red eyes as adults than Goshawks from other genetic pools. Image courtesy of Becky Brunotte.




Osprey
           Chick
                      Osprey chicks hatch with blue eyes that change to the orange-brown shortly. This Osprey was in rehabilitation, but the color change can be seen.
           Immature
                      Immature Osprey have bright orange-brown eyes.
           Mature
                      Adult Osprey have yellow eyes.




Snowy Owl
           Immature
                      Yellow
           Mature
                      Yellow




Sharp-Shin Hawk
           Immature
                      Yellow Image courtesy of Tasha Leong.
           Mature (but not too old)
                      Orange - will become red as the bird ages




Cooper's Hawk
           Immature
                      Yellow
           Mature (but not too old)
                      Orange - will become red as the bird ages
           Mature
                      Red Image courtesy of Steve Dickson.




Other Notes
accipiters have an "inky mouth"
All images and text Copyright © 2004 - 2008 - Lydia Ash