🦅 Bald eagle vs Golden eagle 🦅
The bald eagle and the golden eagle are about the same size. The golden eagle is about twice as fast as the bald eagle. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Bald eagle | 🦅 Golden eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 28 in to 3.2 ft71 to 97 cm1 | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm2 |
| Top speed The golden eagle is about twice as fast as the bald eagle. | 35 to 40 mph56 to 64 km/h3 | 80 mph129 km/h2 |
| Weight They are about the same. | 7 to 14 lb3.2 to 6.4 kg4 | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg2 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle. | 20 years20 years1 | 32 years32 years2 |
| Eats The bald eagle eats fish; the golden eagle eats meat. | mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America |
Which one? Bald eagle or golden eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
The golden eagle gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about twice as fast as the bald eagle.
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 Bald eagle vs Golden eagle
- The bald eagle: A big eagle with a white head that catches fish from rivers.
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The bald eagle and the golden eagle are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- They are about the same. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The golden eagle is about twice as fast as the bald eagle. Top speeds: 3 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
- The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bald eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🦅 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.
🦅 Golden eagle
- A golden eagle can soar over open country with very wide wings.
- It lives from the seashore to high mountains.
- It eats mostly rabbits, hares and other small mammals.
Questions kids ask about Bald eagle and Golden eagle
Which is bigger, bald eagle or golden eagle?
The bald eagle and the golden eagle are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, bald eagle or golden eagle?
They are about the same. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
Which is faster, bald eagle or golden eagle?
The golden eagle is about twice as fast as the bald eagle. Top speeds: 3 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
Which lives longer, bald eagle or golden eagle?
The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bald eagle. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the golden eagle.
What do bald eagle and golden eagle eat?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
Where do bald eagle and golden eagle live?
The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bald eagles eat golden eagles?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. Golden eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do golden eagles eat bald eagles?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. Bald eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bald eagle or golden eagle?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/bald-eagle-vs-golden-eagle
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service (North American bald eagle), checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), checked 10 November 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 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.