American Bald Eagle vs Common Yellowthroat

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Geothlypis trichas

Key Differences

• American Bald Eagle is Not Evaluated while Common Yellowthroat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Bald Eagle	Common Yellowthroat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Parulidae
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Geothlypis
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Geothlypis trichas

Evolutionary Relationship

American Bald Eagle and Common Yellowthroat share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

American Bald Eagle

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Yellowthroat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Bald Eagle	Common Yellowthroat
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	28 years	—
Average Length	90 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Bald Eagle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Ecuador).

Common Yellowthroat

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Norway, United States, and Venezuela.

American Bald Eagle

The national bird of the United States and a symbol of American conservation success, bald eagles have a wingspan of up to 2.4 meters and inhabit forests and wetlands near open water across North America. Powerful aerial predators and scavengers, they specialize in fish but also take waterfowl and carrion. Nearly extinct by the 1960s due to DDT poisoning and hunting, the bald eagle recovered dramatically following pesticide bans and the Endangered Species Act.

Common Yellowthroat

<em>Geothlypis trichas</em>, the common yellowthroat, is a small New World warbler in the family Parulidae. It is one of the most abundant and widespread warblers in North America, breeding across most of the continent from Alaska and Canada south through the United States and into Mexico and Central America. The species is strongly associated with dense, low-growing vegetation near water, including freshwater marshes, reed beds, shrubby wetlands, and riparian thickets. Adult males are distinctively marked with a bright yellow throat and breast, olive-green upperparts, and a bold black facial mask bordered by white above, making them among the most recognizable North American songbirds. Females and immatures are more subdued, lacking the black mask. Biological traits such as precise average lifespan and body weight remain variable; adults typically weigh 9–10 g and live 1–3 years on average in the wild. The species feeds primarily on insects and spiders gleaned from dense vegetation. It builds a well-concealed domed or cup nest low in vegetation near water. <em>Geothlypis trichas</em> is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its vast range and large, broadly stable population.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States