Eagle or vulture?
How to tell them apart
Many vultures have a bare, unfeathered head that stays clean while they feed on carcasses. Eagles mostly hunt live prey.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: dangerous.
| Question | Eagle | Vulture |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Bird | Bird |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? differs | Can be | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Eagle | Vulture |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Worldwide | Africa, Asia, Europe, Americas |
| Habitat differs | Mountains, Forest, Grassland, Coast | Grassland, Mountains, Desert, Scrub |
| Size | Large | Large |
| Weight differs | From 450 g (Great Nicobar serpent eagle) upward | – |
| Legs | 2 | 2 |
| Covered in | Feathers | Feathers |
| Lives differs | In pairs | In flocks |
| Lives for | 20–30 years | 20–30 years |
| Can fly | Yes | Yes |
| Swims | No | No |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Eagle
Large birds of prey with huge hooked beaks and powerful talons. “Eagle” isn’t one natural group: it covers about 68 species big enough to hunt sizeable vertebrates.
Vulture
Birds of prey that scavenge carrion. The 16 Old World vultures of Europe, Africa and Asia and the 7 New World vultures and condors of the Americas look alike but aren’t closely related.
Everything on the vulture page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.