Eagle vs Kite: Difference and Comparison

Globally many bird species can be found. Many of them have been extinct, are listed as endangered, or are endemic species. In India, according to the reports, about 1349 bird species can be found, of which 212 species of the birds are listed as globally threatened for the country.

Key Takeaways

1. Eagles are larger and more powerful than kites, with a heavier build and stronger talons.
2. Kites are more agile in flight, seen soaring and gliding easily, while eagles rely on their strength for hunting.
3. Eagles are apex predators with a broader diet, whereas kites primarily feed on small mammals, insects, and carrion.

Eagle vs Kite

An eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae and is a larger-sized prey bird with a big head and beak, long, broad wings and a fan-shaped tail. A kite is a medium-sized prey bird with a smaller head, shorter beak and long narrow wings and tail. It is smaller in weight and size.

Eagle is one of those birds that have very sharp eyesight. The strength eyesight of the eagle is approximately 4 to 8 times sharper than that of humans in the complete animal kingdom.

It comes under the list of scavenger birds and is larger than the predator birds except for vultures. Also, the weight of some of the species of vultures is about 18 lbs reportedly.

Kite is also one of those birds listed among the predators’ birds, and sometimes they even eat rodents, insects, reptiles, and many more. They have a small body, weigh less and have a small head.

Also, the beak of the kite is very small. The family of the Kite is Accipitridae and is the most abundant family to be found. These birds are found mostly in warmer climates.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Eagle	Kite
Size	Large size bird	Medium size bird
Color	They may be in brown, golden or greyish	They may be in brown, grey, or black
Nest	Large in size and are called eyries, they are up to 6 feet wide	Nest is made up of twigs or small sticks, with grass-lined and is built near the water source
Incubation Period	35 to 45 days	30 to 40 days
Eggs	2 white eggs	2 to 7 eggs that are white or blue with brown dots
Physical Appearance	Large beak and head, broad wings with fan-shaped tail	Small beak and head, pointed beaks, and V-shape tail
Types	Two types – Land eagles and Sea Eagles	Approximately 25-30 species are known

What is Eagle? 

The birds are famously known for their hunting skills. Eagle is a bird that flies at a high altitude in the sky. They have a strong build body with a large head and broader wings. The feathers of the eagle are white or black.

The feathers cover the whole body, including the land eagles’ forehead, shoulder, and lower belly, while the sea eagles have feathers halfway to the toes. The tail of the bird is fan-shaped.

The eggs of the bird are white, and they lay their eggs only two in number. The nest they build are known as eyries, and they are large and approximately 6 feet wide in size, found on high cliffs or tree branches.

Eagles hunt their prey in the daytime and never land on the ground; instead of that, they carry their prey in the sky so that it can be perch and torn apart.

What is Kite? 

The Kite bird belongs to the Accipitridae family, and as of now, only 20 to 30 species are known to the scientist. The bird can be found in many colors, majorly in bluish, grey, brown, or black.

The bird is medium size, and the head and beak of the bird are small sizes. The red color eyes can be found along with the black-covered area around it.

The female Kite birds are said to be a larger size than that of their male partners. They lay 2 to 7 eggs, and those eggs are white or blue with brown dots over them.

They build their nests near the water source and are formed from small size twigs and sticks lined with grass. They prey on small mammals or insects and are known to be the birds that snatch food from other birds.

Main Differences Between Eagle and Kite

1. The size of the Eagle bird is large, while comparatively, on the other hand, the size of the Kite bird is small. 
2. The color of the Eagle bird may be golden, brown, or greyish color whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the color of the Kite bird is black, grey, or brown color. 
3. Eagle is the bird that forms large size of their nest, and they are especially known as the eyries and measure up to 6 feet wide whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the Kite bird forms their nest using small size twigs and sticks, these are lined by the grass and made near the water source.
4. The incubation period for the eagle bird is about 35 to 45 days long, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the incubation period for the kite bird is about 30 days to 40 days long.
5. Eagle bird lays 2 eggs of white color whereas, on the other hand, the Kite bird lays eggs up to 2 to 7 in number, which is white or blue with brown dots over them.
6. Eagles have large heads and beak with strongly built bodies. Also, the wings of the bird are broad with a fan-shaped tail, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the Kite is a medium size bird with a small head and beak, which is pointed, and the tail of the same bird is in V-shape.
7. Eagle is found in two groups are land eagles, and the other one is sea eagles, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, there are approximately 25-30 species of the Kite bird that are known. 

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4163778
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031942203002073
3. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-zoology/article/abs/functional-morphology-of-the-pecten-oculi-in-the-nocturnal-spotted-eagle-owl-bubo-bubo-africanus-and-the-diurnal-black-kite-milvus-migrans-and-domestic-fowl-gallus-gallus-var-domesticus-a-comparative-study/51FC7BEF8AA8FFCA7A2E7167C79E8E21
4. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3676627