American Bald Eagle vs Cobra Clubtail

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Gomphurus vastus

Key Differences

• American Bald Eagle is Not Evaluated while Cobra Clubtail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Bald Eagle	Cobra Clubtail
Kingdom same	Animalia (hewan)	Animalia (hewan)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Artropoda)
Class	Aves (burung)	Insecta (serangga)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Gomphidae
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Gomphurus
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Gomphurus vastus

Evolutionary Relationship

American Bald Eagle and Cobra Clubtail share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (hewan)

Conservation Status

American Bald Eagle

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Cobra Clubtail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Bald Eagle	Cobra Clubtail
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	28 years	—
Average Length	90 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Bald Eagle

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).

Cobra Clubtail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

American Bald Eagle

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.

Cobra Clubtail

The cobra clubtail (Gomphurus vastus) is a large, robust dragonfly belonging to the family Gomphidae, distinguished by the characteristic club-shaped expansion at the terminal segments of the male's abdomen—a feature that lends the entire clubtail family its common name. This species is one of the largest gomphids in eastern North America, with a body length typically reaching 60–75 millimeters. Males display striking yellow and black patterning along the abdomen, with the club markings particularly vivid during territorial displays. Cobra clubtails inhabit large, clean rivers with moderate to swift currents and sandy or gravelly substrates, where larvae burrow into the riverbed during their multi-year aquatic development. The species is distributed across the eastern United States, with strongholds in river systems draining the Appalachian foothills and the Midwest, including portions of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi River drainages. Adults are strong fliers that perch on rocks and logs near the water's edge, making short forays to catch flying insect prey in mid-air. Mating occurs in flight over the river, and females deposit eggs directly into the water by tapping the abdomen on the surface. The cobra clubtail is sensitive to water quality degradation and siltation, serving as a bioindicator of river health. It is listed as Least Concern given its relatively broad distribution across river systems with adequate habitat quality.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States