Eagle vs Vulture: What's the Difference?
Many vultures have a bare, unfeathered head that stays clean while they feed on carcasses. Eagles mostly hunt live prey. The eagle can be dangerous to people; the vulture isn't dangerous to people.
Common questions
Is a vulture an eagle?
No. Both are birds of prey, and some vultures belong to the same family as eagles (Accipitridae), but vultures scavenge carrion while eagles mostly hunt live prey.
Why do vultures have bald heads?
Many vultures have a bare, unfeathered head that stays clean while they feed on carcasses.
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: Commonly confused animals.