The names for two internet-famous eagle chicks have officially been announced. The eaglet formerly known as Bigger Chick is named Sunny and Smaller Chick is now Gizmo. Sunny and Gizmo joined mom Jackie and dad Shadow on their nest overlooking Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino mountains east of Los Angeles, California in March. The nest is monitored by cameras 24/7 by nonprofit organization Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV).
According to FOBBV, over 54,000 names were submitted. The third, fourth, and fifth grade classes at Big Bear Valley elementary schools voted on the new names on April 1. They chose from 31 names including Skye, Crackle, Talon, Blaze, and Bell. In 2022, Jackie and Shadow’s chick named Spirit from the 10,000 names that were submitted. The tradition of having these youngsters choose the name goes back to Jackie’s parents Ricky and Lucy.
“The third graders always study eagles,” FOBBV executive director Sandy Steers tells Popular Science. “A biologist who has since retired, but was at the Forest Service, was talking about eagles with the third graders. She had that connection and put this in place.”
According to FOBBV, a DNA test is the only way to positively determine the sex in bald eagles. The team may or may not guess at the sex when the eaglets are 10 weeks of old based on their size, vocal pitch, and other visual characteristics.
For the tens of thousands of viewers who have been following this journey via a 24-hour livecam, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster. After three eggs failed to hatch in 2024, three eggs appeared in the nest. Chick 1 hatched late on March 3, followed by Chick 2 early on March 4, and Chick 3 hatched on March 8. On the evening of March 13, a snowstorm hit the area dumping up to two feet of snow and pummeling the nest with strong winds. On the morning of March 14, only two of the chicks were visible on the live cam. FOBBV later confirmed the passing of one of the chicks.
FOBBV believes that Chick 1 died based on foot size and the amount of thermal down feathers in the other two eaglets. The deceased chick has since been named Misty in honor of Kathi Misterly, an FOBBV volunteer who passed away after a battle with cancer.
More deals, reviews, and buying guides