🦅 Golden eagle vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The golden eagle is a bit bigger than the northern goshawk. The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Golden eagle | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size The golden eagle is a bit bigger than the northern goshawk. | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the northern goshawk yet. | 80 mph129 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg1 | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the northern goshawk. | 32 years32 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Golden 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 Golden eagle vs Northern goshawk
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The golden eagle is a bit bigger than the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
- The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- Both eat meat. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and 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 golden eagle: 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
🦅 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.
🦅 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 Golden eagle and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, golden eagle or northern goshawk?
The golden eagle is a bit bigger than the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, golden eagle or northern goshawk?
The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
Which lives longer, golden eagle or northern goshawk?
The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do golden eagle and northern goshawk eat?
Both eat meat. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do golden eagle and northern goshawk live?
The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and 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 golden eagles eat northern goshawks?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. Northern goshawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do northern goshawks eat golden eagles?
The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Golden eagles are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the golden eagle is a bit more than as long as the northern goshawk.
Who would win, golden 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/golden-eagle-vs-northern-goshawk
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), 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.