How Much Does a Eagle Weigh
Animals are interesting and amazing, whether they live in the sea, on land, or soar in the sky. This world has lots of incredible creatures, but birds, especially eagles, have fascinated people for a long time. Eagles are majestic birds known for their impressive looks and interesting behaviors. Ornithologists have studied them for many reasons.
What are the 10 heaviest eagles in the world?
- Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)
- Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
- White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
- Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus)
- Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
- Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
- Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Haast’s Eagle (Hieraaetus moorei)
Many different types of eagles exist on Earth, both now and in the past. They are among the bigger birds that hunt for prey, which makes them interesting to study. Watching them hunt for food and seeing how they live is fascinating for many people. The larger the eagle, the more captivating they are to observe. Now, let’s check out the top 10 heaviest eagles in the world:
1. Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)
The Steller’s Sea Eagle was first talked about in 1811 by Peter Simon Pallas. It’s usually the heaviest eagle in the world. Even though it might not be the heaviest eagle ever, it’s the heaviest one alive today. It usually weighs between 11 and 20 pounds, which is quite big compared to other eagles.
These eagles live in coastal areas of Northeastern Asia and usually hunt for fish and water birds. You can also find a lot of them in far Eastern Russia. Researchers say there are about 4,000 of these eagles living in that area.
2. Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
The Philippine Eagle is one of the most endangered species in the world. Efforts are being made to protect the remaining eagles. They’re being provided with safe places to breed so that they can hopefully increase in number.
These eagles usually weigh between 9 and 18 pounds and are among the larger birds. They’re the biggest in size when it comes to length and wing size. Unfortunately, their population has decreased because their homes are being destroyed by deforestation.
3. Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
The Harpy Eagle lives in tropical areas of the Americas, including South America. It’s also known as the American Harpy Eagle.
The Harpy Eagle was named by Linnaeus in 1758. It got its name from a mythical creature called “Harpy.” These eagles usually weigh between 13 and 20 pounds. So, they’re among the biggest and most majestic birds on our list.
4. White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
The White-Tailed Eagle is a big eagle found in temperate Eurasia. It’s also called a sea eagle. These eagles are not very common because of what people do, but they can be found in places like Greenland and Japan.
They usually weigh between 9 and 18 pounds and were first talked about by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. There was a time when people were worried that this eagle might disappear forever. But luckily, steps were taken to help them survive, and now they’re doing better, with more of them living in many countries.
5. Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus)
The Martial Eagle is a big bird of prey found in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s the only one of its kind in the Polemaetus genus. It’s part of the Aquillinae subfamily of eagles with strong legs, which is why it’s called a booted eagle.
Unfortunately, some livestock owners have tried to get rid of these eagles because they sometimes attack and kill their animals. But over time, it’s been shown that they don’t really kill as much livestock as people thought. This eagle usually weighs between 9 and 14 pounds.
6. Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
The wedge-tailed eagle is known for its wedge-shaped tail, which makes it easy to spot. It’s the biggest bird of prey in Australia, weighing between 4 and 13 pounds. You can also find it in New Guinea, Papua, and some parts of Indonesia. This eagle is a booted eagle and one of the largest.
An English bird expert named John Latham talked about this bird first in 1801. During mating season, these birds do fancy flying to impress their mates.
7. Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)
The Crowned Eagle is also called the African Crowned Eagle and the Crowned Hawk Eagle. It’s easy to recognize because of the crown-like feathers on its head. These eagles mostly eat mammals, hardly ever lizards or birds. They like to snack on rodents, small mammals, and sometimes even small monkeys. They live in sub-Saharan Africa.
These birds weigh between 7 and 10 pounds. Carl Linnaeus talked about the Crowned Eagle first in 1766.
8. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
The Golden Eagle is a famous bird of prey that lives in the Northern Hemisphere. It likes to build its nest on high cliffs and often uses the same nest for many years to raise its babies. Once a young Golden Eagle grows up, it will find its own area to live in, usually within four to five years.
Golden Eagles can weigh between 9 and 14 pounds. Linnaeus talked about this eagle first in 1758.
9. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
The Bald Eagle is the most famous eagle in the United States and even one of the most famous birds. It’s the official bird of the country and one of the biggest eagles out there. What’s really surprising is how big their nests are. A bald eagle’s nest can be as deep as 13 feet and as wide as 9 feet, which is massive for a bird’s nest. And the nest itself can weigh as much as a metric ton!
These eagles can weigh between 6 and 14 pounds, which is quite a range. They’re also opportunistic eaters, diving down to water surfaces to catch fish for food, and they’re known as sea eagles too.
10. Haast’s Eagle (Hieraaetus moorei)
Even though Haast’s Eagle doesn’t exist anymore, it’s on our list because it was the biggest eagle ever. It lived on the South Island of New Zealand and was huge, probably because of the size of the animals it hunted. Julius von Haast talked about this eagle first in 1871, when they found its remains. It’s thought that this eagle weighed between 20 and 26 pounds when it was alive.
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