Common Baskettail vs Golden Eagle

Epitheca cynosura compared with Aquila chrysaetos

Key Differences

• Common Baskettail is Least Concern while Golden Eagle is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Baskettail	Golden Eagle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Corduliidae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Epitheca	Aquila (True Eagles)
Species	Epitheca cynosura	Aquila chrysaetos

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Baskettail and Golden Eagle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Baskettail

LC — Least Concern

Golden Eagle

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Baskettail	Golden Eagle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	5.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Baskettail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

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.

Common Baskettail

The common baskettail (<em>Epitheca cynosura</em>) is a dragonfly found across terrestrial and freshwater habitats of the United States. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting a stable and widespread population within its native range. <em>Epitheca cynosura</em> belongs to the family Corduliidae and is typically associated with ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow-moving streams, where its aquatic larvae develop. Adults are often observed patrolling over open water and forest edges in search of prey and mates. The species is named for the basket-like egg mass that females carry at the tip of their abdomen before depositing eggs in water. Males often form feeding swarms, particularly in the morning hours, where they capture small flying insects. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

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:

🇺🇸 United States