Golden Eagle vs Pale Clouded Yellow

Aquila chrysaetos compared with Colias hyale

Key Differences

• Golden Eagle is Near Threatened while Pale Clouded Yellow is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden Eagle	Pale Clouded Yellow
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Pieridae
Genus	Aquila (True Eagles)	Colias
Species	Aquila chrysaetos	Colias hyale

Evolutionary Relationship

Golden Eagle and Pale Clouded Yellow share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Golden Eagle

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Pale Clouded Yellow

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golden Eagle	Pale Clouded Yellow
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	30 years	—
Average Length	85 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Pale Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (35 countries).

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.

Pale Clouded Yellow

Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine