Brown-backed Needletail vs Golden Eagle

Hirundapus giganteus compared with Aquila chrysaetos

Key Differences

• Brown-backed Needletail is Least Concern while Golden Eagle is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown-backed Needletail	Golden Eagle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Apodidae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Hirundapus	Aquila (True Eagles)
Species	Hirundapus giganteus	Aquila chrysaetos

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown-backed Needletail and Golden Eagle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Brown-backed Needletail

LC — Least Concern

Golden Eagle

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown-backed Needletail	Golden Eagle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	5.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown-backed Needletail

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

Golden Eagle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Brown-backed Needletail

The Brown-Backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus) is a species in the genus Hirundapus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Golden Eagle

Among the most powerful and widely distributed raptors in the world, golden eagles have wingspans reaching 2.2 meters and inhabit mountainous terrain across the Northern Hemisphere. Supreme aerial hunters, they use soaring flight and steep dives at speeds over 200 km/h to capture rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, and occasionally young deer and foxes. In many cultures they have been central to falconry traditions spanning millennia.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway