The biggest eagles in the world are an incredible sight. These large birds of prey feature expansive wings, long tails, and thick talons that make them exceptional hunters.
Blessed with sharp eyes and even sharper talons, eagles are quite large compared to other birds of prey. Their impressive size only improves their abilities as hunters, with many eagles easily taking down prey double their size!
There are around 60 species of eagle alive today. Each one varies in shape in size, so let’s take a look at some of the biggest eagle species in the world!
How to Identify the Biggest Eagles
It’s not always easy to identify the largest eagles, as there are currently several methods used to measure them. For example, an eagle’s size is measurable in wingspan, height, and even weight!
As a result, there are many species that are considered the biggest eagle, despite being different in size. For example, some eagles have larger wingspans but weigh less than eagles with shorter wings.
The below list covers all the main measuring methods for eagle size, featured species with the largest wings, the heaviest weight, and much more!
Let’s take a look at eight of the biggest eagle species in the world:
Steller’s Sea Eagle
The Steller’s sea eagle is one of the biggest eagle species by weight, averaging around 15lbs. In fact, there are records of some of these huge eagles weighing up to 20lbs!
Of course, there are several ways to categorize the size of an eagle, including weight and wingspan. So, the Steller’s sea eagle isn’t the biggest eagle by wingspan, with species like the Harpy being larger.
However, the sheer weight of this sea eagle certainly makes it a worthwhile addition to this list!
The eagle is native to coastal regions of northeast Asia, where it lives on a diet of mostly fish.
The eagle has a beautiful yellow beak, making it quite visible as it soars along the coastline. It has a deep brown plumage with white across the upper portion of its wings and legs.
Its beak is incredibly powerful, being used to catch large fish species such as salmon. While an adept hunter of fish, it also supplements its diet with crustaceans and shellfish.
Also, the eagle is known to occasionally hunt other water birds and even smaller mammals like a seal pup!
The Steller’s sea eagle has populations in many northeast Asian coastal areas, including Japan and Russia. For instance, there is a strong population of around 4,000 along the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.
The Philippine Eagle
As their name suggests, the Philippine Eagle is a large eagle species native to the Philippines. The biggest eagle by wingspan, the Philippine Eagle boasts a beautiful blue and black beak and brown and cream plumage.
Its wingspan reaches an impressive 7ft, making it the largest wingspan of any eagle. The female Philippine Eagle is usually larger than the male.
These massive wings help the eagle soar at high speeds across the 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines.
The Philippine Eagle is also known as the Monkey Eagle because it’s said to hunt monkeys native to the Philippine forests! It nests in the towering tropical trees of the Philippine forests, where it’s typically hunting small rodents and reptiles.
Unfortunately, these tropical rainforests are seeing huge losses of habitat, causing the eagle to become critically endangered. This breed of an eagle doesn’t fly far from its forest habitat, causing a steep decline in its numbers.
The eagle has an incredibly long lifespan, reaching as old as 60 years! There are strict laws in place in the Philippines to help combat their lowering numbers. For instance, if caught killing one of these majestic birds, you face up to 12 years in prison!
There are less than 1,000 Philippine Eagles left in the wild. It’s certainly sad to see that one of the biggest eagle species is one of the most endangered.
Harpy Eagle
The Harpy Eagle is a large eagle species native to Central and South America. Despite not being the biggest eagle species on this list, the Harpy Eagle is one of the best hunters. For instance, it has incredibly powerful talons with enough force to snap your arm!
Thankfully, they are most interested in mammals in their native rainforests, preying on monkeys, sloths, and other larger birds.
The Harpy Eagle does have quite a long wingspan, measuring around 6-7ft. It nests in upper canopy areas of lowland rainforests in Central and South America, so its habitat is in decline in recent times.
Because of this loss of habitat, Harpy Eagles are not as widespread in the Americas. Their status is near threatened, so they’re not currently endangered.
White-Tailed Eagle
The white-tailed Eagle is a large species found across many areas of Europe and northern Asia. They are native to various countries throughout the European and Asian continents, including Sweden, Germany, Russia, Iran, Japan, and China.
As a result of its wide range, the white-tailed eagle has a healthy population so is not considered threatened or endangered. Some countries do consider their own populations threatened, but their global status remains positive.
However, despite being found in countless countries across the globe, the eagles are quite hard to spot. This is because they are quite a shy species of eagle, preferring to avoid heavily populated areas.
The white-tailed eagle is usually found nesting and hunting around large bodies of water, including coastal regions and freshwater lakes. They prefer to nest in high spots, such as cliffsides and large trees.
Their prey is quite standard for a sea eagle, consisting of fish and smaller waterfowl. The eagle is noticeable for its striking white head and yellow beak, contrasting with its darker plumage.
African Crowned Eagle
The African Crowned Eagle boasts an impressive weight and wingspan, although isn’t one of the biggest eagle species native to Africa. However, it’s most certainly one of the most powerful eagles in Africa, being an apex predator in its native woodland and forests.
While it is smaller in weight than the Philippines Eagle and Steller’s Sea Eagle, its wingspan averages around 6-7ft. These broad wings combine with thick legs and lengthy talons, giving the African Crowned Eagle exceptional hunting abilities.
The eagle is native to woodlands and rainforests across Africa, flying between trees and looking for prey. Its massive talons are the perfect hunting tool, allowing it to effortlessly break the spine of animals much larger than itself.
For example, it hunts monkeys, antelope, mongoose, snakes, and even sloths, with most of its prey tree-dwelling animals.
Martial Eagle
The martial eagle is found across sub-Saharan areas of Africa, nestling amongst the woodland areas of the savanna. Due to the harsher sub-Saharan climate, these eagles tend to eat whatever they find, including mammals, birds, and reptiles.
This type of eagle is quite unique, featuring feathering across the upper portion of its legs. They use a unique hunting method that involves soaring high into the sky and then diving down onto their prey.
Wedge-Tailed Eagle
The wedge-tailed eagle isn’t the biggest eagle on this list but is certainly one of the longest!
Their lengthy body and wings are covered in large black feathers, while they have a notable wedge-shaped tail. Native to Australia and parts of New Guinea, the eagle loves hunting various types of prey, including goat and sheep.
Also, wedge-tailed eagles are known to team together to hunt larger mammals, including kangaroo!
While they are an amazing sight to view, be mindful if ever nearby a wedge-tailed eagle. They are often aggressive towards humans – there are reports of them attacking people in hand gliders!
Golden Eagle
The golden eagle is one of the largest eagle species by wingspan, measuring upwards of 7ft!
As their name suggests, the golden eagle’s plumage is a rich golden-brown color, mostly across the back of its neck.
This species of eagle is an exceptional hunter, being one of the most efficient birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. They hunt small to mid-size mammals, such as squirrels, hare, rabbits, deer, and coyotes.
Golden eagles like to build large nests for breeding, often revising the same breeding area for many years. Breeding typically occurs in spring, with the eagles sticking with the same mate for most of their life.
The species is widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, found in countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Conclusion
As this list shows, there is an amazing selection of large eagles soaring in the skies throughout the world. They come in various shapes and sizes, with distinct features that make them noticeably large.
Whether it is their weight, length, or wingspan, each of these eagles is amongst the largest in their species. Their larger traits make them unrivalled hunters, with big eagles being the most efficient birds of prey.
We can only imagine what it must be like to see these beautiful birds use their massive talons and beaks to hunt unsuspecting prey!