Jackie and Shadow’s third eaglet has landed

A third eaglet has hatched for the famous bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow, following the successful hatchings of two little eaglets earlier this week. The third eaglet made its arrival before 6:13 a.m. PST on March 8.

The confirmation of the third pip occurred on March 6 at 10:21 a.m. PST, just a few days after its older siblings emerged from their shells. Viewers from around the world have been tuning in to the livestream on YouTube hosted by the nonprofit organization Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV).

The process of the third egg hatching began during a snowstorm. However, the snow surrounding the nest acts as an insulating material, as noted by FOBBV. This snow limits heat exchange, stabilizes temperature, and muffles sound, providing a suitable environment for the eagles. Bald eagles, with over 7,000 feathers and a core body temperature of approximately 105 degrees Fahrenheit, are well-equipped to withstand the cold. 

Hatching is a strenuous process for the chicks. After assuming a special hatching position within the egg, the chick absorbs the remaining yolk and fluids for energy. These nutrients support the chick through the hatching process and in the initial hours after breaking out of the shell. Using a sharp protrusion at the top of its beak called an egg tooth, the chick breaks through the various membranes and hard eggshell. This egg tooth is visible post-hatching but eventually disappears. 

As the oxygen levels inside the egg decrease, the muscles at the back of the chick’s neck begin to contract. This hatching muscle, the most well-developed muscle at this stage of development, allows the chick to make its first pip and take its first breath of air. 

After resting and absorbing the remaining egg fluids, the chick begins to vocalize and makes its first external pips in the shell. The final push occurs as the chick rotates inside the egg, pushing with its leg and using its egg tooth to scrape the eggshell. 

With only a 50 percent hatch rate for eagle eggs, this new brood has defied the odds. Jackie and Shadow, a pair since 2018, successfully raised chicks in 2019 and 2022, including one named Spirit. Unfortunately, in 2023, their clutch was consumed by ravens. Although the pair laid three eggs in 2024, none of them hatched.

 

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