The bald eagle and the golden eagle are an impressive pair of raptors that are unique to the Northern hemisphere. They are similar in weight and wingspan. They are also both dark brown in color. Along with some similarities, there are also some stark differences between these two eagles. The following article delves into the similarities and differences between the two birds including, their physical characteristics, range, diet, random facts, etc.
Physical Characteristics
- Bald Eagles– Adult Bald Eagles are dark brown, verging on black with white heads and tails. They also have yellow beaks, lower legs, and feet. Juvenile Bald Eagles are brown all over until they’re 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 years in age. Adults are around 3 ft. tall and weigh up to 15 pounds. Their wingspans range from 6 to 7 1/2 feet with an outside maximum of 8 feet. On average, the female of the species is 30% heavier and has a leg bone that is 20% longer than that of the male.
- Golden Eagles- Golden Eagles are dark brown with golden highlights on the back of the head and neck. Their legs are feathered to their feet. Their feet and talons are yellow with brown claws, and their beaks are brown. The mature size of Golden Eagles varies with geographic location and sub-species. Overall though, the average size of a mature Golden is similar to that of a Bald Eagle. Female golden Eagles are larger than males. The size disparity increases with the size of the sub-species. In the larger Asian Golden Eagle, females are 37% larger with a 9% wider wingspan. Conversely, in the smaller Japanese Golden Eagle, females are 26% larger with a 6% wider wingspan.
Range
- Bald Eagles– The Bald eagle is native only to North America. Their territory extends from northern Mexico, north across the western continental United States and Canada, and into Alaska. There is also a year-round population of Southern Bald Eagles in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. There also Bald eagles in the eastern U.S, but they are much more common in the west.
- Golden Eagles– The Golden Eagle’s territory lies within North America, Asia, northern Africa, and Europe. Like Bald Eagles, North American Golden Eagles are more prevalent on the western half of the continent.
Habitat
- Bald Eagles– Bald Eagles are fishing eagles. The largest portion of their diet is fish. Consequently, you’ll find Bald Eagles along the coastline or adjacent to any significant body of water where fish are plentiful. They also prefer an area with a tree canopy for nesting purposes. It’s not uncommon for them to choose the tallest tree in the area to nest in. In areas where a forest canopy is unavailable Bald eagles will also nest on cliff sides or man-made structures such as electrical transmission towers.
- Golden Eagles- The diet of a Golden Eagle consists primarily of small to medium-sized mammals. To find prey, they prefer semi-open areas such as prairies, grassland, shrubland, and desert country where their view is uninhibited, and they can hunt more efficiently. A majority of the time, golden Eagles nest on a cliffside, but they will also nest in trees and man-made structures just like Bald Eagles. Golden Eagles will hardly ever be spotted in or adjacent to heavily populated areas.
Diet
When it comes to dietary preferences, bald eagles are fish eaters. Studies performed across the bald eagle’s range showed that fish comprise 56% of their diet. In southeast Alaska, fish make up 66% of their diet. Birds are the second most preferred item on a Bald eagle’s menu. They make up 28% of their diet. Speaking of hunting birds, Bald eagles have been observed to catch up to geese in flight, fly underneath them, and then turn upside-down and grasp their breast with their talons. Mammals come in third place at 14%. Occasionally they will prey on large mammals such as deer.
Bald eagles are highly aggressive and opportunistic. They have mastered the art of stealing food from other birds (kleptoparasitism), especially ospreys, whenever push comes to shove. Being opportunistic, they will hardly bypass the chance to jump on readily available carrion lying in the wild.
Bald Eagles have impressive talon strength. An adult has the ability to exert up to four hundred pounds per square inch in grip strength.
Rough foot bottoms are custom to Bald Eagles as they need the non-slip grip to catch Fish.
The Golden Eagle’s go-to diet is small mammals, reptiles, birds, et cetera. Occasionally, they may hunt canines like foxes and coyotes. They’ve also been documented to attack full-grown deer and Pronghorns. They are largely terrestrial predators, and, as such, the weapons they use are their talons. They have phenomenal foot strength and toe muscle flexibility. Just like the Bald Eagle, they have the ability to exert pressure as high as four hundred pounds per square inch in talon grip.
Breeding And Nesting
- Bald Eagles– They begin building or renovating the nest 1 to 3 months before mating takes place. Since they mate for life, the same pair may return and onto the same nest year after year. An average bald eagle nest is between four and five feet wide and two to four feet deep. These nests sometimes grow to be over ten feet wide and weigh thousands of pounds. The timing of breeding varies with the location. In the south, it will occur in November or December. The further north breeding pairs are, the latter they will time their breeding. Bald eagles lay 1 to 3 eggs and incubate them anywhere from 34 to 36 days.
- Golden Eagles- Golden Eagles live in more areas and have a much more diverse set of environmental circumstances than Bald Eagles. The timing of their breeding season depends on their geographical location and can be anywhere from March to August. Golden Eagle nests are around 5 feet in diameter and 2 to 4 feet deep. Golden eagles also mate for life or until one mate dies. They reuse the same nests yearly, and some Golden eagle nests become gigantic similar to those of Bald Eagles. Golden Eagles also lay 1 to 3 eggs and incubate them for 41 to 45 days.
Differences Between the Birds
The quickest way of separating the two is by looking at the colorization, particularly when they are full-grown adults. It’s much easier than when they are eaglets because, during this stage, the characteristics tend to overlap.
1 1/2 year Juvenile Bald Eagle 
3 1/2 year Juvenile Bald Eagle 
4 1/2 year Bald Eagle
You know it is a bald eagle when it has a white head and tail and protruding yellow beak. Juvenile Bald eagles are solid brown with a sprinkling of white feathers. They have brown heads and tails and black yellow-tipped beaks. Their adult plumage doesn’t settle until they are at least 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 years old. In the meantime, they can easily be mistaken for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagle, whose salient point is the gold-brown neck, ironically is born with a noticeable white patch on its underwing area and tail base. But do not be fooled; this will thin out with time. Once developed, the overall result is a beautiful, thick brown covering with occasional white stains maintained in the mentioned regions.
In comparing head and beak structure, a bald eagle’s head is somewhat larger, and so is its beak. Bald eagles have large, hooked yellow beaks. In comparison, a golden eagle’s beak is smaller and dark brown in color.
If you have a keen eye, you’ll notice that the feathering on the leg area also differs. Golden eagles have booted legs. The term “booted” refers to the fact that they have feathers all the way down to their feet. Bald Eagles, on the other hand, have yellow, featherless ankles.
Facts About the Bald and Golden Eagle
In the United States, the Bald Eagle is our national bird. Its image has been emblazoned onto many of our national icons, including our currency.
Conversely, the Golden eagle is the national bird of Mexico, Albania, Scotland, and Serbia.
These birds’ regal appearance, impressive stamina, and fierce demeanor make them both powerful symbols befitting state-level representation.
Have you ever heard the term “eagle eye”? Eagles can see clearly eight times farther than humans can. They can spot prey as small as a mouse from up to two miles away.
Golden Eagle Sub-Species
- European golden eagle– This subspecies is found throughout most of Europe, including the British Isles.
- Iberian golden eagle. This sub-species lives throughout the Iberian Peninsula and also on the island of Crete.
- Asian golden eagle (Himalayan golden eagle or berkut) – Known variously as the Asian golden eagle, Himalayan golden eagle, or berkut. This subspecies’ range includes portions of Kazakhstan, Iran, and the easternmost Caucasus. In case your wondering, the Caucasus is a region that includes parts of Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. There are also Asian Golden Eagles in parts of China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and India. These birds are the largest of the Golden Eagle sub-species.
- Japanese golden eagle- The Japanese Golden Eagle lives in the mountainous regions of all five major Japanese islands. This is the smallest Golden Eagle sub-species. As of 2015, there were only around 500 of these birds in existence. Their numbers are threatened by human expansion into their traditional habitat.
- American Golden Eagle– These birds’ range extends from Mexico through much of western North America to Alaska in the north. The further east you travel, the less common they are. Source
- Siberian Golden Eagle– or the Kamchatkan Golden Eagle ranges from Western Siberia across most of Russia, and into northern Mongolia
Bald Eagle Sub-Species
There are two Bald Eagle Sub-species.
- The Northern Bald Eagle-(Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascensis) inhabits Northern Canada and Alaska.
- The Southern Bald Eagle-,(Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus) lives and breeds in the lower 48 states and northern Mexico.
The intent of this article is to help you be confident in identifying which one of these birds your looking at.
Now get out there and find one! We are only allotted a finite number of days, and a day out with the eagles is a day well spent.
