🐺 Coyote vs Golden eagle 🦅
The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the coyote. The coyote weighs about 3 times as much as the golden eagle.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐺 Coyote | 🦅 Golden eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the coyote. | 16 to 20 in41 to 51 cm1 | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the coyote yet. | no checked number yet | 80 mph129 km/h2 |
| Weight The coyote weighs about 3 times as much as the golden eagle. | 25 to 35 lb11 to 16 kg1 | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg2 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about 5 times as long as the coyote. | 6 years6 years1 | 32 years32 years2 |
| Eats The coyote eats plants and animals; the golden eagle eats meat. | mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America |
Which one? Coyote or golden eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the coyote 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 Coyote vs Golden eagle
- The coyote: A clever wild dog whose yips and howls fill the night.
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- They are different kinds of animal. The coyote is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the golden eagle is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the coyote: 2 against 1.
- The coyote weighs about 3 times as much as the golden eagle. That is 1 for the coyote and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The golden eagle usually lives about 5 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the coyote and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
- The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. 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 coyote: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐺 Coyote
- A coyote can hear a mouse moving under the snow.
- A few coyotes together can sound like a whole pack howling.
- Coyotes sometimes team up with badgers to hunt.
🦅 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 Coyote and Golden eagle
Which is bigger, coyote or golden eagle?
The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the coyote: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, coyote or golden eagle?
The coyote weighs about 3 times as much as the golden eagle. That is 1 for the coyote and 2 for the golden eagle.
Which lives longer, coyote or golden eagle?
The golden eagle usually lives about 5 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the coyote and 2 for the golden eagle.
What do coyote and golden eagle eat?
The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
Where do coyote and golden eagle live?
The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. 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 golden eagles eat coyotes?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. Coyotes are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, coyote 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/coyote-vs-golden-eagle
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 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 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.