A young bald eagle is getting a second chance after a rescue, though he barely resembles the national-symbol version most people expect.
Without the bright white head feathers that come with adulthood, the bird's appearance has been drawing attention.
What happened?
In an Instagram post, the Toronto Wildlife Centre said the bird is still a youngster and "has yet to develop the iconic white feathers that make the adults so recognizable."
The organization introduced him by writing, "Believe it or not, this striking bird of prey is a bald eagle!"
The Toronto Wildlife Centre says its team is "assessing the young eagle and working toward getting him healthy enough for release back to the wild."
The post showed the dark-feathered eagle after, as the caption said, "Leah had found him in the middle of an open field" and they also stated that the bird "appeared to be breathing heavily and he didn't try to fly away."
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Leah then brought the bird to the Toronto Wildlife Centre.
Why does it matter?
Young bald eagles have not yet developed the white head feathers associated with adults.
In this case, the eagle's dark plumage makes him look very different from the classic image of a bald eagle.
Wildlife rehabilitation centres care for animals found sick, injured, or otherwise unable to fend for themselves.
A grounded bird of prey in an open field can face risks from predators, starvation, and human activity.
What are people saying?
In its post, the Toronto Wildlife Centre said the bird was "thin and dehydrated" and that the team is "working toward getting him healthy enough for release back to the wild."
Many viewers took to the comments to praise the Wildlife Centre for their swift actions. One viewer wrote, "Wow. Thanks for checking first if the parents were still around since that would've been the best! Nevertheless he is in best hands for his situation."
Many were saying that they were hopeful to see a future post of his release.
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