There are 4 Tail Levels in Beaver Scouts: Brown, Blue, White, and Northern Lights symbol. Beaver Scouts wear a tail in their colour based on their age at the back of their hat. The tail levels are based on age and not necessarily on the time spent in Beaver Scouts. Around mid-year (Jan/Feb), White Tail Beaver Scouts add the Northern Lights symbol to their tail to symbolize that they are on their Northern Lights Quest towards the North Star Award.

Beaver Scouts only wear one tail at a time; when they get a new tail, the old tail is retired and removed from the hat.

 

Brown Tail

Age before Jan 1st: 5 years, Senior Kindergarten

Discovery and Growing.

BROWN represents the colour of the beaver's fur, also the earth on which we live and in which things grow. It can remind the Beaver Scouts of their responsibility to take care of the world. It can also be seen as the time of discovery, when the Beaver Scout is entering a new phase in life and exploring a broader world beyond the confines of family and close friends.

 

Blue Tail

Age before Jan 1st: 6 years, Grade 1

Building and Exploring.

BLUE represents the sky and water and symbolizes the immense opportunities to explore that is now open to the Beaver Scouts, whose abilities are expanding and changing.

 

White Tail

Age before Jan 1st: 7 years, Grade 2

Busy Beavers (Sept - Jan/Feb)

WHITE links Eager Beavers to Tenderpads (new Cub Scouts). 
WHITE represents the moon and stars, which give us light to help us find our way through the darkness of the night. The white of the moon reminds Beaver Scouts of distant goals, seemingly far away, but attainable.

 

Northern Lights Tail

Age before Jan 1st: 7 years, Grade 2

Busy Beavers (Jan/Feb - end of year)

About halfway through the year, the Northern Lights symbol is added to the White Tail to show that the Busy Beaver is on their Northern Lights Quest to the North Star Award (the Top Section Award) and is very close to becoming a Cub Scout. This is the final tail level for all Beaver Scouts and helps signal final preparations for swimming up to Cub Scouts.