A first year juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle spotted over the Bay of Phang Nga. It has a dingy brownish breast-wash, a dull buffish-cream head and an off-white tail with a dark brownish subterminal band.

On the underside, the wings have warm buffish coverts, and a large whitish patch on the primaries, that contrasts with the blackish secondaries and primary tips. In its third year it will gradually transform into a much lighter plumage.

First it becomes mostly buffish-white, while keeping the blackish secondaries and primary tips, then it eventually attains the white, grey and black colours of adults (fig.).