Águila cabeza blanca vs Common Pondskater

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Gerris lacustris

Key Differences

• Águila cabeza blanca is Not Evaluated while Common Pondskater is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Águila cabeza blanca	Common Pondskater
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Arthropoda (artrópodos)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (insecto)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Gerridae
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Gerris
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Gerris lacustris

Evolutionary Relationship

Águila cabeza blanca and Common Pondskater share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Águila cabeza blanca

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Pondskater

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Águila cabeza blanca	Common Pondskater
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	28 years	—
Average Length	90 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Águila cabeza blanca

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).

Common Pondskater

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Águila cabeza blanca

El ave nacional de los Estados Unidos y símbolo del éxito conservacionista americano, el águila cabeza blanca tiene una envergadura de hasta 2,4 metros y habita bosques y humedales próximos a aguas abiertas en toda Norteamérica. Casi extinta en la década de 1960 por el envenenamiento con DDT y la caza, se recuperó de forma notable gracias a las prohibiciones de pesticidas y la Ley de Especies en Peligro.

Common Pondskater

<em>Gerris lacustris</em>, the common pondskater, is an aquatic insect in the family Gerridae, well known for its remarkable ability to walk and skate across the surface of still or slow-moving freshwater bodies using surface tension. Microscopic water-repellent hairs on its legs trap air and prevent the insect from breaking the water film, allowing it to detect vibrations from struggling prey and move rapidly across the water surface. The species is a predator and scavenger, typically feeding on small invertebrates, including other insects, that fall onto or become trapped at the water surface. <em>Gerris lacustris</em> is distributed across Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and is among the most commonly encountered water striders in temperate European ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting widespread abundance and absence of major conservation threats. The species overwinters as an adult in terrestrial habitats and returns to water in spring. Biological traits such as average adult lifespan, precise body dimensions, body mass, and detailed dietary composition remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Adults are capable of flight and can colonise new water bodies effectively.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden