🦅 Bald eagle vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The bald eagle is about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. The bald eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Bald eagle | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size The bald eagle is about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. | 28 in to 3.2 ft71 to 97 cm1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the northern goshawk yet. | 35 to 40 mph56 to 64 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The bald eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. | 7 to 14 lb3.2 to 6.4 kg4 | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. | 20 years20 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats The bald eagle eats fish; the northern goshawk eats meat. | mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Bald eagle or northern goshawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the northern goshawk yet, so there is no race.
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.
10 things to know about Bald eagle vs Northern goshawk
- The bald eagle: A big eagle with a white head that catches fish from rivers.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The bald eagle is about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
- The bald eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bald eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The northern goshawk: 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.
🦅 Northern goshawk
- A northern goshawk lives in forests in North America and Eurasia.
- Some move to warmer places in winter.
- Females are a little bigger than males.
Questions kids ask about Bald eagle and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, bald eagle or northern goshawk?
The bald eagle is about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, bald eagle or northern goshawk?
The bald eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
Which lives longer, bald eagle or northern goshawk?
The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do bald eagle and northern goshawk eat?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do bald eagle and northern goshawk live?
The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bald eagles eat northern goshawks?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. Northern goshawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do northern goshawks eat bald eagles?
The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Bald eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the bald eagle is about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk.
Who would win, bald eagle or northern goshawk?
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-northern-goshawk
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: Accipiter gentilis (northern goshawk), 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.