African elephant vs Duck Hawk

Loxodonta africana compared with Falco peregrinus

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Duck Hawk is Least Concern.
• African elephant is herbivore while Duck Hawk is carnivore.
• African elephant is 6000.0x heavier than Duck Hawk.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Duck Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Falconidae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Falco
Species	Loxodonta africana	Falco peregrinus

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and Duck Hawk share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Duck Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~140.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Duck Hawk
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	15 years
Average Length	6.0 m	48 cm
Average Weight	6.0 t	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Duck Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

African elephant

The largest land animal on Earth, African elephants can reach 7,000 kg and inhabit sub-Saharan savannas, forests, and wetlands. Highly intelligent with complex social structures led by matriarchs, they communicate through infrasound, rumbles, and touch. As ecosystem engineers, they shape habitats by uprooting trees, digging waterholes, and dispersing seeds. Vulnerable, with populations declining due to ivory poaching and habitat loss.

Duck Hawk

The fastest animal on the planet, peregrine falcons achieve aerial dive speeds exceeding 320 km/h when stooping on prey, stunning or killing birds in flight with a blow from their feet. Found on every continent except Antarctica in diverse habitats from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforest. Nearly extinct in North America and Europe from DDT poisoning in the 1960s–70s, peregrines recovered dramatically following pesticide bans and successful urban nesting programs.