White feathers can add such a clean, crisp and elegant flair to birds plumage. For some, white helps them camouflage in with a cold and snowy environment. For others, their white feathers help them stay cooler in hot, sunny environments by reflecting away radiation. Whatever the many advantages of white feathers may be, in this article we will look at 18 species of birds with white heads from small woodpeckers to huge swans.
18 Birds with White Heads
1. Bald Eagle
Species name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. This bird isn’t actually bald – it just looks that way because the white feathers on its head are lighter than the dark brown feathers on the rest of its body. Bald eagles live year-round in some parts of the United States: the Pacific Coast, Florida, the Gulf Coast, and select portions of Maine and the Rockies. Otherwise, they winter throughout the United States and spend the warm months in Canada.
Their iconic white head doesn’t show up immediately though. For the first few years of life they are entirely brown. Slowly white feathers are added in, and when they reach maturity at about 5 years old, they should finally have all their white head and tail feathers.
2. Snowy Owl
Species name: Bubo scandiacus
Snowy owls blend in perfectly with their white, icy surroundings. They hunt, eat, and nest during the daylight hours, which is very long in their summertime home, the high Arctic. The rise and fall of the lemming population dictates how many chicks they raise and how many owls live in an area. During the winter they disperse further south into Alaska and Canada. Some lone wanderers may travel as far south as the middle of the United Sta