🦅 Bearded vulture vs Golden eagle 🦅
The bearded vulture is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle. The bearded vulture is a bit heavier than the golden eagle.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Bearded vulture | 🦅 Golden eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size The bearded vulture is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle. | 3.1 to 4.1 ft94 cm to 1.3 m1 | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the bearded vulture yet. | no checked number yet | 80 mph129 km/h2 |
| Weight The bearded vulture is a bit heavier than the golden eagle. | 9.9 to 15 lb4.5 to 7 kg1 | 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 bearded vulture. | 21 years21 years1 | 32 years32 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mostly bones from animals that have already died | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | high cliffs, gorges and mountains of southern Europe, Asia and Africa | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America |
Which one? Bearded vulture or golden eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bearded vulture 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.
10 things to know about Bearded vulture vs Golden eagle
- The bearded vulture: A big mountain vulture that eats mostly bones.
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The bearded vulture is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle: 1 against 2.
- The bearded vulture is a bit heavier than the golden eagle. That is 1 for the bearded vulture and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bearded vulture. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bearded vulture and 2 for the golden eagle.
- Both eat meat. The bearded vulture eats mostly bones from animals that have already died; the golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
- The bearded vulture lives in high cliffs, gorges and mountains of southern Europe, Asia and Africa. 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 bearded vulture: doing fine, for now (Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦅 Bearded vulture
- A bearded vulture eats mostly bones.
- It lives high in the mountains.
- Its wings are much longer than its body.
🦅 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 Bearded vulture and Golden eagle
Which is bigger, bearded vulture or golden eagle?
The bearded vulture is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, bearded vulture or golden eagle?
The bearded vulture is a bit heavier than the golden eagle. That is 1 for the bearded vulture and 2 for the golden eagle.
Which lives longer, bearded vulture or golden eagle?
The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bearded vulture. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bearded vulture and 2 for the golden eagle.
What do bearded vulture and golden eagle eat?
Both eat meat. The bearded vulture eats mostly bones from animals that have already died; the golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
Where do bearded vulture and golden eagle live?
The bearded vulture lives in high cliffs, gorges and mountains of southern Europe, Asia and Africa. 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 bearded vultures eat golden eagles?
The bearded vulture eats mostly bones from animals that have already died. Golden eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do golden eagles eat bearded vultures?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. Bearded vultures are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the bearded vulture is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle.
Who would win, bearded vulture 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/bearded-vulture-vs-golden-eagle
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Gypaetus barbatus (bearded vulture), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.