American Bald Eagle vs Common Dodder

Haliaeetus leucocephalus compared with Cuscuta gronovii

Key Differences

American Bald Eagle is Not Evaluated while Common Dodder is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Bald Eagle	Common Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (นก)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order	Accipitriformes (อันดับเหยี่ยว)	Solanales (อันดับมะเขือ)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles)	Cuscuta
Species	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Cuscuta gronovii

Conservation Status

American Bald Eagle

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~316.7K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Dodder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Bald Eagle	Common Dodder
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).

Common Dodder

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (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.

Common Dodder

<em>Cuscuta gronovii</em>, the common dodder, is a parasitic annual vine in the family Convolvulaceae. This species is distributed across eleven European countries as well as the United States, where it typically inhabits diverse terrestrial environments including wetland margins, roadsides, thickets, and disturbed vegetation. Unlike most plants, <em>Cuscuta gronovii</em> lacks chlorophyll and is entirely dependent on host plants for water and nutrients, which it extracts through specialized structures called haustoria. The common dodder typically has slender, twining orange or yellowish stems and produces small, clustered white or pale pink flowers in late summer. It often parasitizes a broad range of host species, including many herbaceous and shrubby plants. Once attached to a host, it typically sheds its connection to the soil and relies entirely on the host for sustenance. The species is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its wide distribution and ability to colonize disturbed habitats. Its parasitic life history makes it ecologically notable among flowering plants.