Head to head
Golden Eagle vs Bald Eagle
The bald eagle and the golden eagle are the two largest birds of prey across most of North America, and they are roughly the same size. But one is a fish-eating water bird and a determined scavenger, and the other is a true hunter of the open uplands, and they sit on different branches of the eagle family.
| Golden Eagle | Bald Eagle | |
|---|---|---|
| Family group | Booted or true eagles (Aquila) | Sea eagles (Haliaeetus) |
| Adult plumage | All dark brown with a golden wash on the nape | Dark brown body with a white head and tail |
| Immatures | Dark with clean white wing patches and a white tail base | Mottled brown and white, confusing for several years |
| Legs | Feathered all the way to the toes | Bare yellow lower legs |
| Main food | Rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, marmots, some birds and carrion | Fish, waterfowl, and carrion |
| Habitat | Mountains, canyons, moorland, open country | Coasts, big rivers, and lakes |
| Range | Across the Northern Hemisphere | Almost entirely North America |
| Nest | Large nest on a cliff ledge or tree, often with alternates | Enormous stick nest in a tall waterside tree, reused for decades |
| Status | Least Concern; local declines from persecution and collisions | Least Concern; recovered strongly after the DDT ban |
Golden Eagle vs Bald Eagle: common questions
How do you tell a golden eagle from a bald eagle?
An adult bald eagle has an unmistakable white head and tail against a dark body. A golden eagle is dark all over with a paler golden nape. Young bald eagles are trickier, so look for a golden eagle's fully feathered legs and clean white patches at the base of the flight feathers and tail, versus messy blotches on a young bald eagle.
Which is bigger, a golden eagle or a bald eagle?
They overlap heavily. Female bald eagles average slightly heavier, but the largest golden eagles match them, and golden eagles often look longer-winged and more agile in the air. In practice they are the same size class.
Do golden eagles and bald eagles fight?
Occasionally, usually over food or territory where their ranges meet. Golden eagles are the more aggressive aerial combatants and can drive bald eagles off carcasses, but serious fights are rare because the two species mostly use different habitats.