Weißkopf-Seeadler vs Roter Holunder

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Sambucus racemosa

Key Differences

Weißkopf-Seeadler is Not Evaluated while Roter Holunder is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Weißkopf-Seeadler	Roter Holunder
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Accipitriformes (Greifvögel)	Dipsacales (Kardenartige)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Viburnaceae
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Sambucus
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Sambucus racemosa

Conservation Status

Weißkopf-Seeadler

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Roter Holunder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Weißkopf-Seeadler	Roter Holunder
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).

Roter Holunder

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (15 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Roter Holunder

Coastal red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is a deciduous shrub in the family Adoxaceae, found across a broad range spanning Europe, northern Asia, and North America. It grows in forest edges, hedgerows, coastal scrub, rocky slopes, and disturbed habitats from sea level to montane elevations. The plant bears large pinnate leaves, domed clusters of creamy white flowers in spring, and conspicuous bright red berry clusters in late summer. Its fruits are an important food source for thrushes, waxwings, and other frugivorous birds, facilitating seed dispersal across its range. Raw berries and other parts of the plant contain glycoalkaloids and should not be consumed by humans without proper preparation. Coastal red elderberry is a pioneer species that colonises disturbed ground rapidly through bird-dispersed seed. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with stable populations across a vast geographic range. In coastal habitats, it often forms dense shrubby thickets alongside willows and alders. Traditional uses by Indigenous peoples of North America include medicinal preparations and the harvesting of cooked berries for food.