Birds · Side by side
Bald Eagle vs Golden Eagle
How to tell them apart
Quick answer
Check the legs and the white. Golden Eagles have legs feathered to the toes and, when young, crisp white patches at the base of the wings and tail; Bald Eagles have bare yellow lower legs, a bigger head and bill, and white either on the head and tail (adults) or splashed randomly over the body (young birds).
Bald and Golden Eagles are North America's two big eagles, close in size and protected by the same federal law, and the adults are easy to tell apart. The trouble is young birds: for four or five years a Bald Eagle is mostly brown, and a brown eagle soaring over a ridge or hunched on a winter fence post could be either one. Here is how to sort them out.
Key differences
| Trait | Bald Eagle | Golden Eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Adult plumage | White head and tail on a dark brown body | Dark brown all over with a golden nape |
| Legs | Bare and yellow below the feathered thigh | Feathered all the way to the toes |
| Head and bill in flight | Big head and massive bill jutting far forward | Smaller head and bill; tail two to three times the head's length |
| White on young birds | Messy blotches on the belly, wingpits and wing linings | Neat patches at the base of the flight feathers; white tail with a dark band |
| Main food | Fish, waterbirds and carrion | Rabbits, hares, ground squirrels and prairie dogs |
| Habitat | Coasts, rivers and large lakes | Open mountains, canyons, rangeland and tundra |
| Nest site | Huge stick nest in a tall tree near water | Mostly cliff ledges, some large trees |
| Range | Throughout Canada and the United States | Mainly the West; scarce winter visitor in the East |
Where you will find each
Water is the quickest clue. Bald Eagles almost always stay near fish: coasts, big rivers, large lakes and reservoirs, and in winter the open water below dams. Golden Eagles are birds of open, dry country in the West — sagebrush, grassland, canyons and mountain ridges — where they hunt jackrabbits, ground squirrels and prairie dogs. In winter the two overlap on western rangeland and around Midwestern refuges, and a small eastern population of Golden Eagles from the Hudson Bay region winters along the Appalachians from Michigan and Pennsylvania to Alabama.
The young-eagle problem
Adults cause no trouble; brown juveniles do. A young Bald Eagle is dark brown with white smeared unevenly across the belly, wingpits and wing linings, and that pattern changes every year until the white head and tail come in at about five years. A young Golden Eagle is darker and cleaner, with sharply defined white patches at the base of the inner flight feathers and a tail that is white for most of its length with a broad black tip. On a perched bird, the golden nape and the feathered legs settle it.
One law for both
Congress protected the Bald Eagle in 1940 and added the Golden Eagle in 1962, partly because immature Bald Eagles are so easily mistaken for Goldens. Today the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act make it illegal to take, possess, sell or transport either species, including feathers, nests and eggs, without a permit; enrolled members of federally recognized tribes can obtain feathers through the National Eagle Repository. Both eagles scavenge carcasses and gut piles in winter, and a 2022 study found chronic lead poisoning in nearly half of the eagles tested, which is why conservationists urge hunters to switch to copper or other non-lead ammunition.
By the numbers
The traits the daily bird game compares for each.
| Clue | Bald Eagle | Golden Eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Hawks & eagles | Hawks & eagles |
| Colors | Brown, White | Brown |
| Habitat | Wetlands | Grassland |
| Region | Nationwide | Western |
| Length | 33 in | 30 in |
| Wingspan | 80 in | 80 in |
| Diet | Fish | Meat |
FAQ
Which is bigger, a Bald Eagle or a Golden Eagle?
They overlap almost completely. Both weigh roughly 6.5 to 14 pounds with wingspans of about six to seven feet, and in both species females are larger than males, so size alone will not separate them.
Can Bald and Golden Eagles be seen together?
Yes, especially in winter on western rangeland and around Midwestern reservoirs and refuges, where both hunt and scavenge. Watching them side by side is the best way to learn the difference in head size and wing shape.
Which eagle is on the U.S. seal, and which is on Mexico's flag?
The Bald Eagle is on the Great Seal of the United States and became the official national bird in 2024. The eagle on Mexico's coat of arms and flag is the Golden Eagle.
Could you tell them apart from a few clues? Test yourself in today's puzzle.
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