Weißkopf-Seeadler vs Coastal Ragweed

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Ambrosia hispida

Key Differences

Weißkopf-Seeadler is Not Evaluated while Coastal Ragweed is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Weißkopf-Seeadler	Coastal Ragweed
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Accipitriformes (Greifvögel)	Asterales (Asternartige)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Ambrosia
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Ambrosia hispida

Conservation Status

Weißkopf-Seeadler

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Coastal Ragweed

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Weißkopf-Seeadler	Coastal Ragweed
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	28 years	—
Average Length	90 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Weißkopf-Seeadler

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).

Coastal Ragweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Weißkopf-Seeadler

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.

Coastal Ragweed

Coastal ragweed (Ambrosia hispida) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to the coastal dunes, sandy beaches, and cays of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the wider Caribbean region. It grows in pioneer beach and dune vegetation, often forming spreading colonies that help stabilise loose coastal sands. Like other members of the genus Ambrosia, it bears inconspicuous greenish-white flowers arranged in racemes; male flower heads produce wind-dispersed pollen that can trigger allergic rhinitis in sensitive individuals. The deeply lobed, hispid leaves are adapted to reflect intense solar radiation and tolerate salt spray. Coastal ragweed plays an ecological role in early dune succession, binding sand and enabling other plant species to establish. The genus is widespread globally, with several Ambrosia species considered noxious weeds in agricultural settings, though Ambrosia hispida is restricted to its native Caribbean coastal range. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting adequate population size across its Caribbean coastal distribution. Pressure from coastal development and tourism infrastructure poses a localised threat to dune communities it inhabits.