🦉 Eurasian eagle-owl vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The eurasian eagle-owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size. The eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦉 Eurasian eagle-owl | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 23 to 28 in58 to 71 cm1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. | 3.5 to 9.3 lb1.6 to 4.2 kg1 | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The eurasian eagle-owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. | 10 to 20 years10 to 20 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | rats, mice, voles and beetles, and sometimes larger animals and other birds | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, mountains, deserts, riverbeds and farmland across Europe, Asia and North Africa | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Eurasian eagle-owl or northern goshawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the eurasian eagle-owl or 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 Eurasian eagle-owl vs Northern goshawk
- The eurasian eagle-owl: A huge owl with orange eyes and ear tufts.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The eurasian eagle-owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- The eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the eurasian eagle-owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The eurasian eagle-owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the eurasian eagle-owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- Both eat meat. The eurasian eagle-owl eats rats, mice, voles and beetles, and sometimes larger animals and other birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The eurasian eagle-owl lives in forests, mountains, deserts, riverbeds and farmland across Europe, Asia and North Africa. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The eurasian eagle-owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The northern goshawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦉 Eurasian eagle-owl
- A Eurasian eagle-owl lives in forests, deserts and mountains.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It eats almost anything it can catch.
🦅 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 Eurasian eagle-owl and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, eurasian eagle-owl or northern goshawk?
The eurasian eagle-owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, eurasian eagle-owl or northern goshawk?
The eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the eurasian eagle-owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
Which lives longer, eurasian eagle-owl or northern goshawk?
The eurasian eagle-owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the eurasian eagle-owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do eurasian eagle-owl and northern goshawk eat?
Both eat meat. The eurasian eagle-owl eats rats, mice, voles and beetles, and sometimes larger animals and other birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do eurasian eagle-owl and northern goshawk live?
The eurasian eagle-owl lives in forests, mountains, deserts, riverbeds and farmland across Europe, Asia and North Africa. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do eurasian eagle-owls eat northern goshawks?
The eurasian eagle-owl eats rats, mice, voles and beetles, and sometimes larger animals and other birds. Northern goshawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do northern goshawks eat eurasian eagle-owls?
The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Eurasian eagle-owls are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, eurasian eagle-owl 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/eurasian-eagle-owl-vs-northern-goshawk
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Bubo bubo (Eurasian eagle-owl), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Accipiter gentilis (northern goshawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.