Clover Dodder vs Águila real

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Aquila chrysaetos

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while Águila real is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	Águila real
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Cuscuta	Aquila (True Eagles)
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Aquila chrysaetos

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Águila real

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	Águila real
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	5.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Águila real

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.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.

Águila real

Entre los rapaces más poderosos y ampliamente distribuidos del mundo, las águilas reales tienen envergaduras de hasta 2,2 metros y habitan terrenos montañosos del Hemisferio Norte. Cazadores aéreos supremos, utilizan el vuelo en planeo y picadas pronunciadas a velocidades superiores a 200 km/h para capturar conejos, liebres, ardillas terrestres y ocasionalmente ciervos jóvenes y zorros. En muchas culturas han sido centrales para las tradiciones de cetrería que abarcan milenios.