🐕 African wild dog vs Bald eagle 🦅
The African wild dog is about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle. They are about the same. The African wild dog weighs about 6 times as much as the bald eagle.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐕 African wild dog | 🦅 Bald eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size The African wild dog is about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle. | 3.4 to 4.9 ft1.1 to 1.5 m1 | 28 in to 3.2 ft71 to 97 cm2 |
| Top speed They are about the same. | 34 mph55 km/h1 | 35 to 40 mph56 to 64 km/h3 |
| Weight The African wild dog weighs about 6 times as much as the bald eagle. | 40 to 79 lb18 to 36 kg1 | 7 to 14 lb3.2 to 6.4 kg4 |
| Lives The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the African wild dog. | 10 to 11 years10 to 11 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats The African wild dog eats meat; the bald eagle eats fish. | mammals such as impala, and sick or hurt wildebeest and zebra | mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | grassland, savanna and open woodland in southern Africa | near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America |
Which one? African wild dog or bald eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
The bald eagle gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about the same as fast as the African wild dog. It isn't quite fair: the African wild dog is running and the bald eagle is flying.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
11 things to know about African wild dog vs Bald eagle
- The African wild dog: A long-legged, patchy-coated wild dog of the African savanna.
- The bald eagle: A big eagle with a white head that catches fish from rivers.
- They are different kinds of animal. The African wild dog is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the bald eagle is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The African wild dog is about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle: 1 against 2.
- The African wild dog weighs about 6 times as much as the bald eagle. That is 1 for the African wild dog and 4 for the bald eagle.
- They are about the same. Top speeds: 1 for the African wild dog and 3 for the bald eagle.
- The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the African wild dog. Usual lifespans: 1 for the African wild dog and 2 for the bald eagle.
- The African wild dog eats mammals such as impala, and sick or hurt wildebeest and zebra. The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals.
- The African wild dog lives in grassland, savanna and open woodland in southern Africa. The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The African wild dog: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The bald eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐕 African wild dog
- An African wild dog can run fast in a chase.
- Its coat is a patchwork of colors.
- It lives on the savanna and in open woodland.
🦅 Bald eagle
- "Bald" is an old word for white-headed.
- A pair adds to the same nest year after year.
- Young bald eagles are brown and get their white head later.
Questions kids ask about African wild dog and Bald eagle
Which is bigger, African wild dog or bald eagle?
The African wild dog is about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, African wild dog or bald eagle?
The African wild dog weighs about 6 times as much as the bald eagle. That is 1 for the African wild dog and 4 for the bald eagle.
Which is faster, African wild dog or bald eagle?
They are about the same. Top speeds: 1 for the African wild dog and 3 for the bald eagle.
Which lives longer, African wild dog or bald eagle?
The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the African wild dog. Usual lifespans: 1 for the African wild dog and 2 for the bald eagle.
What do African wild dog and bald eagle eat?
The African wild dog eats mammals such as impala, and sick or hurt wildebeest and zebra. The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals.
Where do African wild dog and bald eagle live?
The African wild dog lives in grassland, savanna and open woodland in southern Africa. The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, African wild dog or bald eagle?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/african-wild-dog-vs-bald-eagle
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Lycaon pictus (African wild dog), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service (North American bald eagle), checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Upper Delaware, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.