🦅 Bald eagle vs Steller's sea eagle 🦅
The bald eagle and the steller's sea eagle are about the same size. The steller's sea eagle weighs about one and a half times as much as the bald eagle.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Bald eagle | 🦅 Steller's sea eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 28 in to 3.2 ft71 to 97 cm1 | 33 in to 3.1 ft85 to 94 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the steller's sea eagle yet. | 35 to 40 mph56 to 64 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The steller's sea eagle weighs about one and a half times as much as the bald eagle. | 7 to 14 lb3.2 to 6.4 kg4 | 13 to 20 lb6 to 9 kg2 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the steller's sea eagle yet. | 20 years20 years1 | no checked number yet |
| Eats The bald eagle eats fish; the steller's sea eagle eats meat. | mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals | salmon, and when salmon is scarce crabs, mussels, gulls and small mammals |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America | sea coasts and large rivers with tall old trees in eastern Russia |
Which one? Bald eagle or steller's sea eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the steller's sea eagle 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.
9 things to know about Bald eagle vs Steller's sea eagle
- The bald eagle: A big eagle with a white head that catches fish from rivers.
- The steller's sea eagle: A huge sea eagle with a big yellow bill and white shoulders.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The bald eagle and the steller's sea eagle are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The steller's sea eagle weighs about one and a half times as much as the bald eagle. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the steller's sea eagle.
- The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The steller's sea eagle eats salmon, and when salmon is scarce crabs, mussels, gulls and small mammals.
- The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The steller's sea eagle lives in sea coasts and large rivers with tall old trees in eastern Russia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bald eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The steller's sea eagle: needs help (Vulnerable 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.
🦅 Steller's sea eagle
- A Steller's sea eagle's main food is salmon.
- In winter some fly south to Japan.
- Females are bigger than males.
Questions kids ask about Bald eagle and Steller's sea eagle
Which is bigger, bald eagle or steller's sea eagle?
The bald eagle and the steller's sea eagle are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, bald eagle or steller's sea eagle?
The steller's sea eagle weighs about one and a half times as much as the bald eagle. That is 4 for the bald eagle and 2 for the steller's sea eagle.
What do bald eagle and steller's sea eagle eat?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The steller's sea eagle eats salmon, and when salmon is scarce crabs, mussels, gulls and small mammals.
Where do bald eagle and steller's sea eagle live?
The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The steller's sea eagle lives in sea coasts and large rivers with tall old trees in eastern Russia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bald eagles eat steller's sea eagles?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. Steller's sea eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do steller's sea eagles eat bald eagles?
The steller's sea eagle eats salmon, and when salmon is scarce crabs, mussels, gulls and small mammals. Bald eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bald eagle or steller's sea 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-stellers-sea-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: Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller's sea 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.