🦅 Golden eagle vs Red fox 🦊
The red fox is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Golden eagle | 🦊 Red fox |
|---|---|---|
| Size The red fox is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle. | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm1 | 3.6 ft1.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the red fox yet. | 80 mph129 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg1 | 9 to 11 lb4.1 to 5 kg3 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about 9 times as long as the red fox. | 32 years32 years1 | 3 to 4 years3 to 4 years4 |
| Eats The golden eagle eats meat; the red fox eats plants and animals. | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles | mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries |
| 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 | most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks |
Which one? Golden eagle or red fox
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the red fox 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 Red fox
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- The red fox: A red fox can hear a mouse squeaking under deep snow.
- They are different kinds of animal. The golden eagle is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs; the red fox is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The red fox is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 3 for the red fox.
- The golden eagle usually lives about 9 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 4 for the red fox.
- The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
- The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The red fox: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
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.
🦊 Red fox
- A red fox has pupils shaped like slits, like a cat's.
- Red fox kits are born with brownish-gray fur, and the red coat comes later.
- Red foxes live in cities, forests, farms and even deserts.
Questions kids ask about Golden eagle and Red fox
Which is bigger, golden eagle or red fox?
The red fox is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, golden eagle or red fox?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the golden eagle and 3 for the red fox.
Which lives longer, golden eagle or red fox?
The golden eagle usually lives about 9 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the golden eagle and 4 for the red fox.
What do golden eagle and red fox eat?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
Where do golden eagle and red fox live?
The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do golden eagles eat red foxes?
The golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles. Red foxes are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the red fox is about one and a half times as long as the golden eagle.
Who would win, golden eagle or red fox?
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-red-fox
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service (The Clever Red Fox), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.