Babies of beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have fitting names. What are they?
The eaglets of beloved bald eagle parents Jackie and Shadow now officially have names — thanks to the Southern California elementary students who made the final selection.
So what names did the students choose?
“Meet Sunny and Gizmo!” Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam said in an April 1 post on Facebook. “After the wonderful but lengthy process of selecting names for Jackie and Shadow’s adorable chicks, Bigger Chick is now named Sunny and Smaller Chick is now named Gizmo.”
The nonprofit group hosts a live eagle camera, where the eagles’ many dedicated fans can keep up with the raptor family.
Thousands of people submitted over 54,000 names that were then narrowed down to a list of 30 finalists that the students chose from, the nonprofit said in the post.
Gizmo was the 12th name and Sunny was the 30th. Several people in the comments said Sunny was included among the names they submitted.
One mom said her family also submitted the name Sunny as a play on the eaglets’ father’s name — Shadow.
Several people also said they thought the names were fitting for the eaglets’ budding personalities.
“What a great name for that feisty little gremlin,” they said about Gizmo, referencing the movie character the eaglet is likely named after. “Those birds already have personalities and I think the names fit.”
Everyone who submitted a winning name will receive a certificate, the group said.
“Thank you to everyone for caring so much about Jackie and Shadow and their beautiful chicks!” the group said.
Sunny and Gizmo are the eagle parents’ first successful hatchlings since their last eaglet Spirit was born March 3, 2022, McClatchy News previously reported.
After that, the pair tended to two eggs through snow and storms in 2023, but abandoned the eggs after they showed no signs of hatching, McClatchy News reported. The same thing happened again with the couple’s three eggs in 2024.
“I have been following this pair for a few years and so happy to see the chicks thriving after a couple of disappointing few years,” someone said in the comments. “Wow they are growing so quickly.”
“Love the names! Love even more watching these two grow and grow!” another person said. “Each day brings smiles and joy!”
Several people sent well wishes that the eaglettes would make it through snowstorms forecast later this week.
“Wishing Sunny and Gizmo warmth and protection over the next few snowy days,” someone said.
Big Bear Lake is about a 95-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Babies of beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have fitting names. What are they?."
