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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	African Cuckoo-hawk	White-tailed Eagle
Scientific Name	Aviceda cuculoides	Haliaeetus albicilla
Order	Accipitriformes	Accipitriformes
Family	Accipitridae	Accipitridae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	84.0 cm (33.1 in)
Wingspan	52.9 cm (20.8 in)	225.0 cm (88.6 in)
Weight	261.0 g (9.21 oz)	5200.0 g (183.42 oz)
Diet	--	Fish, waterfowl, and carrion. Often pirates food from other birds. Takes fish from the water …
Clutch Size	2-3	1-3
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

African Cuckoo-hawk —

White-tailed Eagle 84.0 cm

Wingspan

African Cuckoo-hawk 52.9 cm

White-tailed Eagle 225.0 cm

Weight

African Cuckoo-hawk 261.0 g

White-tailed Eagle 5200.0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

African Cuckoo-hawk only

🌲 Forest

White-tailed Eagle only

🏖️ Coastal 🌿 Wetland

White-tailed Eagle

Coastlines, large lakes, and rivers with mature trees or cliffs for nesting. Requires large undisturbed areas.

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Song & Call Comparison

African Cuckoo-hawk

White-tailed Eagle

Song

High-pitched, yelping 'klee-klee' and deep barking 'ra-ra-ra'. Less vocal than Bald Eagle but similar chattering quality. Gives gull-like wailing near nest in breeding season.

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Geographic Range & Migration

African Cuckoo-hawk

White-tailed Eagle

Northern Europe and Asia from Greenland and Scandinavia to Japan. Reintroduced to Scotland and Ireland.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

African Cuckoo-hawk

Least Concern

White-tailed Eagle

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How to Tell Them Apart

African Cuckoo-hawk

White-tailed Eagle

Plumage

Brown body with a paler head in adults and a distinctive short white wedge-shaped tail. Massive broad wings in flight. Juveniles are darker overall.

Bill

Very large, heavy, pale yellow bill

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About These Birds

African Cuckoo-hawk

The African Cuckoo-hawk weighs about 261g and inhabits sub-Saharan African forests. Despite its hawk shape, it feeds mainly on insects, lizards, and chameleons.

White-tailed Eagle

The white-tailed eagle is Europe's largest eagle and the fourth-largest eagle in the world. Once extinct in Britain, it has been successfully reintroduced to Scotland and Ireland through conservation programs. These powerful raptors can live over 25 years and form lifelong pair bonds.

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Related Comparisons

Harpy Eagle vs White-tailed Eagle

same-family

Red-tailed Hawk vs White-tailed Eagle

same-family

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More Birds to Explore

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African Fish-eagle Haliaeetus vocifer African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro African Harrier-hawk Polyboroides typus African Hawk-eagle Aquila spilogaster All Accipitridae birds →

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