🦅 Golden eagle vs Peregrine falcon 🦅
The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon is about twice as fast as the golden eagle. The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the peregrine falcon.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Golden eagle | 🦅 Peregrine falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Size The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon. | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm1 | 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm2 |
| Top speed The peregrine falcon is about twice as fast as the golden eagle. | 80 mph129 km/h1 | 200 mph322 km/h3 |
| Weight The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the peregrine falcon. | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg1 | 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon. | 32 years32 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles | other birds, such as pigeons and ducks |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America | every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings |
Which one? Golden eagle or peregrine falcon
🏁 Who would win the race?
The peregrine falcon gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about twice as fast as the golden eagle. It isn't quite fair: the golden eagle is flying and the peregrine falcon is diving through the air.
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.
11 things to know about Golden eagle vs Peregrine falcon
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- The peregrine falcon: The fastest animal in the world when it dives from the sky.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
- The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the peregrine falcon. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
- The peregrine falcon is about twice as fast as the golden eagle. Top speeds: 1 for the golden eagle and 3 for the peregrine falcon.
- The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
- Both eat meat. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
- The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The peregrine falcon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
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.
🦅 Peregrine falcon
- Its dive is called a stoop.
- A clear extra eyelid wipes its eyes clean as it dives.
- Peregrines nest on skyscraper ledges, which look like cliffs to them.
Questions kids ask about Golden eagle and Peregrine falcon
Which is bigger, golden eagle or peregrine falcon?
The golden eagle is about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, golden eagle or peregrine falcon?
The golden eagle weighs about 5 times as much as the peregrine falcon. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
Which is faster, golden eagle or peregrine falcon?
The peregrine falcon is about twice as fast as the golden eagle. Top speeds: 1 for the golden eagle and 3 for the peregrine falcon.
Which lives longer, golden eagle or peregrine falcon?
The golden eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the peregrine falcon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
What do golden eagle and peregrine falcon eat?
Both eat meat. The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
Where do golden eagle and peregrine falcon live?
The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, golden eagle or peregrine falcon?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. 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-peregrine-falcon
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), checked 10 November 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali and Yukon-Charley Rivers, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.