Top 15 Largest Eagles in the World

Eagles are raptors found all over the planet and some of them are on the list of the largest eagles in the world. There are about 60 species of eagles from Europe, Africa and Asia, among them are extremely large raptors. To distinguish more clearly, let's learn about the largest birds of prey in the world listed below.

1. Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle, also known as the Greater Philippine Eagle or the Monkey-eating Eagle, is one of the tallest, rarest, largest, and most powerful birds in the world. It is considered the national bird of the Philippines.

The Philippine Eagle is a brown and white bird of prey found in the dense forests of the Philippines. It is considered the largest eagle in the world in terms of length, followed by the Harpy Eagle, Steller's Sea Eagle, and Wedge-tailed Eagle.

The Philippine Eagle has dark brown and white plumage, stands 86 to 102 cm tall, and weighs 4.7 to 8 kg. It is considered the 'longest eagle in existence since the extinction of the Haast's Eagle. It is also one of the rarest and most powerful in the bird world. Its legs are large, with prominent yellow and black talons. Its bill is bluish-gray, and its eyes are hawk-like. It has a wingspan of 184 to 220 cm with a normal wing length of 57.4-61.4 cm, and a tail length of 50 cm. This bird became the national bird of the Philippines.
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2. Harpy Eagle

In the wild, female Harpy Eagles usually weigh 6-9kg, in many cases over 10kg. The world's largest female eagle, Jezebel, was recorded to weigh up to 12.3kg. Male eagles are smaller, weighing only 4.4-4.8kg. Harpy Eagles are the rarest and most powerful birds in the world, they often live in lowland areas of tropical forests. With such power and majestic beauty, this eagle found in America is considered the symbolic Harpy Eagle of America.

This eagle is 86-107cm long and has a wingspan of 176-224cm. That's why many people mistake this bird for a person wearing a bird costume, not a real bird. With dark gray feathers covering its neck and wide wings, plus its pure white chest feathers, the Harpy looks like a tall, elegant "handsome man".

The Harpy eagle's food is tree-dwelling primates such as monkeys and sloths. However, during seasons when food is scarce, they hunt antelopes and small deer, animals that seem to be reserved for foxes, lions or tigers. Because the Harpy is a bird of prey, it is "meat-eating" and not "vegetarian" like other birds. Moreover, with its large body size, long and sharp claws, fast movement speed, and sharp eyes, the Harpy is the largest and most powerful sky predator in the world.
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3. Wedge-tailed Eagle

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in the world, and is the largest bird of prey native to mainland Australia and New Guinea. Females weigh between 3 and 5.77 kg, while males weigh between 2–4 kg. They are 81–106 cm in length, with an average of 95.5 cm. Their wingspan is typically between 182–232 cm, with an average of 210 cm. This is the third largest eagle in the world in terms of length and wingspan.

Wedge-tailed Eagles often soar high in the air for hours at altitudes reaching up to 1,800 metres and sometimes considerably higher. They can see both infrared and ultraviolet light. They spend most of their time perched in trees or on rocks or vantage points such as cliffs from which they have a good view of their surroundings. During the intense heat of the day, it often flies high in the air, around the hot air currents rising from the ground. Each pair occupies a territory ranging from 9 km2 to more than 100 km2.
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4. Steller's Sea Eagle

The Steller's Sea Eagle is found mainly in the coastal areas of northeastern Asia, the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Russian Far East, where it can coexist with waterfowl and some other fish-eating birds of prey.

The average weight of the female ranges from 6 to 9.5 kg, while the male is slightly lighter, ranging from 4.9 to 6.8 kg. This average weight can vary depending on the season, or the level of access to food. They have a body length of 85 to 105 cm, a very long wingspan ranging from 1.95 to 2.5 m, and some documents even suggest that their wingspan can be much longer, up to 2.8 m.

The adult Steller's Sea Eagle has dark brown to black plumage, with contrasting white appearing on the shoulders, tail and legs. The eyes are yellow with good vision. Although it is a fish-eating species, its feet and claws are also extremely powerful, not inferior to any other ferocious eagle.

It can be said that the Steller's eagle has the largest yellow beak among the sea eagles, and it is also the largest beak of all existing eagles, its strength comparable to the beaks of the largest vultures in the old world.
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5. Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the most famous birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. It belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread in the Holarctic, it has disappeared from some of its more populated areas. Although it has disappeared from or become uncommon in some of its former range due to sexually transmitted diseases, it remains fairly common, occurring in Eurasia, North America, and parts of Africa.

The Golden Eagle is dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on the head and neck. Its wingspan is 1.8–2.3 m. While males weigh 7–11 kg, females weigh only half as much: 3.5–6 kg.

Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch a wide range of prey, including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, and large mammals such as foxes and young ungulates. They also scavenge if live prey is scarce, as well as reptiles. Birds, including species growing to the size of swans and cranes, have been recorded as preying on this eagle.
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6. Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is a top bird of prey in North America. It is the national bird and emblem of the United States. There are two known subspecies of this sea eagle, and it forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle. Its range includes much of Canada and Alaska, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with abundant food sources and perennial plants for nesting.

The bald eagle is a large bird of prey, with females larger than males, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 m. They have a white head and neck, a brown body, and white tail feathers, but their plumage does not develop until they are about 5 years old. Its Latin name means "sea eagle".
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7. Martial Eagle

The Martial Eagle is a large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. The martial eagle is a very large eagle, with a total length of 78–96 cm, a weight of 3–6.2 kg, a wingspan of 188–260 cm, a tail length of 27.2–32 cm, and a tarsus of 9.7–13 cm. It is the largest eagle in Africa and the fifth largest in the world.

The plumage of the adult is dark grey-brown on the back, head and upperparts, and the underparts are white with black-brown spots. The underwing feathers are brown. The female is usually larger than the male. The juvenile is pale, usually white on the head and breast, with less spots on the underparts. The bill is very strong, about 5.5 cm long, and the feathered legs are also very strong. They have very good eyesight (3.0-3.6 times that of humans), so they can detect prey from a very long distance.
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8. African Eagle

The African Eagle is a large bird of prey that lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Its preferred habitat is forests and riverine woodlands.

The African Eagle is up to 90cm in total length, slightly smaller and has a significantly shorter wingspan than the largest African eagle, the martial eagle. However, it is considered the most powerful eagle in Africa when measured by prey weight. It can hunt mammalian prey such as bushbuck, which can weigh over 30kg.

The African Eagle is very aggressive. It has very large talons and powerful legs, and can kill by crushing the skull. Over 90 percent of the African Eagle's diet is mammals, mainly small ungulates, hyraxes and small primates such as monkeys.
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9. White-tailed Sea Eagle

The white-tailed sea eagle is a large bird of prey closely related to the bald eagle. It is quite large and is roughly equal in both weight and length to the Steller's sea eagle and the bald eagle.

The species has broad wings, a large head, and a large thick bill. Adults are primarily grayish-brown except for a slightly paler head and neck, black flight feathers, and a prominent white tail. All featherless parts are yellow, including the bill and legs. In juveniles, the tail and bill are darker, with a dark terminal band in subadults. The combination of the grayish-brown color, broad, even wings, white tail, strong yellow bill, and overall large size makes the white-tailed eagle essentially unmistakable in its native range.
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10. Verreaux's Eagle

The Verreaux's Eagle, also known as the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, is a member of the family Owlidae and is the largest of the African owls. It is also the third heaviest owl in the world.

The Verreaux's Eagle is a very large and powerful owl. The male and female are similar in appearance, although the female is larger and heavier. The face is a dull white disc, with a black border. The typical ear tufts are short and shaggy. The eyes are dark brown, with pink above the eyelids, and the eyelashes are yellow-brown. The skin at the base of the bill is blue-gray, the bill is pale cream, and the base of the bill is gray. The feathers around the bill are slightly darker. The upperparts are pale grayish-brown, tending to milky white, with fine white streaks, and a series of white spots on the shoulders. The underparts are lighter grayish-brown, with very fine, dense streaks. The throat is white, prominent when calling. The toes are strong, horny gray, partially covered with feathers. The claws are dark brown, with black tips. The young are completely covered in creamy white feathers.

The length of the Verreaux's Eagle ranges from 60–66 cm with an average wingspan of 140 cm. The male weighs 1.6–2 kg, while the female weighs 2.5–3.2 kg. Standard measurements are: wing length 42–48 cm for males, 45–49 cm for females, tail length 22–27.5 cm for males, 23–27 cm for females, and tarsus 8 cm.
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11. African Fish Eagle

The African Fish Eagle is a very large eagle found throughout the Saharan Africa and is the national bird of most African countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Sudan.

The African Fish Eagle is a large bird. The female weighs 3.2 to 3.6 kg, larger than the male which weighs 2 to 2.5 kg. This is typical of sexual dimorphism in birds of prey. The male typically has a wingspan of about 2 m, while the female has a wingspan of 2.4 m. The body length is 63–75 cm.

The plumage of the juvenile is brown, with paler eyes than the adult. The feet have rough soles with strong claws to allow the eagle to catch prey such as catfish. While this species is primarily a fish-eater, it is opportunistic and can take a wider variety of prey such as waterfowl. The species' characteristic call is, for many, evocative of the spirit and essence of Africa.
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12. New Guinea Eagle

This is a large bird of prey with a distinctive grey-brown colour and a rather long crest. The New Guinea Eagle is also a typical bird of the New Guinea rainforest because of its extremely superior hunting ability.

The New Guinea Eagle is 75–90 cm tall, has a wingspan of 157 cm, and weighs 1.6–2.4 kg. Its feathers are grey-brown, its wings are wide, its beak is large, its tail is long, its underparts are white, its legs are long and its claws are extremely sharp. Compared to the male, the female is larger.

Their food is small mammals, birds, snakes and they nest in tall trees. Due to habitat loss, along with hunting by the islanders, they have become an endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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13. Indian Eagle

The Indian Eagle is a large bird of prey in the whale family and is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is also the largest raptor in India, with a wingspan of about 60 cm.

This raptor has broad wings and a long tail, which helps it move through trees easily. It is 30–46 cm long, with females being much larger than males. This species breeds in southern Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to southern China, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is mainly a lowland bird, and is resident year-round. Even in highland habitats, it remains resident during the winter, for example in the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan or in the Sal forests.
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14. Crested Eagle

The Crested Eagle is a large species of eagle. The Crested Eagle is the sole member of the genus Morphnus. The Crested Eagle can grow up to 89 cm in length, with a wingspan of up to 176 cm, and can weigh up to 3 kg. The plumage varies from light brownish-grey to dark grey or even blackish in some cases.

The Crested Eagle has a white throat and a black spot on the crest and a small dark mask over the eye. The Crested Eagle has a wide range across Central and South America, but is not very numerous. It prefers lowland rainforests. A powerful predator, its diet consists mainly of small mammals, rodents, snakes, and smaller birds. Despite its widespread distribution, it is currently listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, mainly due to habitat loss.
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15. White-bellied Sea Eagle

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The White-bellied Sea Eagle is a distinctive bird, with adults having a white head, breast, underwings and tail. The upperparts are grey and the underwings contrast with black feathers and white. The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetus species.

Like other raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male, and can reach 90 cm with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m, and weigh 4.5 kg. Immature birds have brown plumage, which gradually fades to white by the age of five or six years. Their call resembles that of a large goose. White-bellied sea eagles live in pairs or in small groups. This species of eagle feeds on sea snakes. The White-bellied Sea Eagle swoops down to catch its prey on the surface of the water, it does not dive into the water to catch its prey.
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