Differences between Eagle and Stork

Eagle and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Accipitridae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

Eagles are one of the largest and powerful birds on the planet. They are revered as mythological birds in several cultures of the world. There are about 60 species of Eagles, prominent among them being Harrier Eagles, Hawk Eagles, Martial Eagles, American Bald Eagle, and Sea Eagles. Eagles are at the top of the food chain. They have splendid eye sight and can see as far as three kilometres beyond. Their heads are fully feathered and usually white. The birds have wide wings, strong feet, and curved nails. Their plumage is usually brown in color, while their hooked beaks are orange. Eagles are known for their fearlessness and strength.

Stork is a large wading bird with long legs and long beak. Its beak and legs are usually red in color, while its eyes are grey. The color of its body could be streaks of white, black, and red depending on the geography. The bird’s head and upper neck are usually not covered with feathers. The Stork is almost mute as it has an undeveloped syrinx. The Stork family consists of about 20 species of birds such as Marabou Stork and Adjutant Stork. The family is related to Herons, Ibises, and Flamingos.

Where are Eagle and Stork found?

Eagles live near waterbodies like lakes, rivers, and seas. They prefer to perch, roost, and nest on tall trees. Most Eagle species are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. About 11 of them exist in North and South America, while a couple of them are from Australia.

Storks choose to live near marshes, grasslands, meadows, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are not prevalent across the world. They exist chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. One bird from their species can be found in Australia, while three others occur around Argentina and Florida.

What do Eagle and Stork eat?

Eagles are largely carnivores. Their diet depends on the species and geography. They generally eat mammals and birds. The ones living near water bodies also prey on aquatic animals, gulls, and seabirds. Eagles are fierce hunters but they also steal food from other Eagles and birds. However, they rarely eat dead meat.

Storks are carnivores that mainly eat fish. They also feed on reptiles, insects, amphibians, mice, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even small alligators. They generally capture their prey in fields and shallow waters.

Here are a few pointers about the eating patterns between Eagle and Stork

• Both Eagle and Stork eat Fish.
• Both Eagle and Stork eat Frogs.
• Both Eagle and Stork eat Lizards.
• Both Eagle and Stork eat Snakes.
• Both Eagle and Stork eat Turtles.
• Both Eagle and Stork eat Squirrels.
• Gophers are commonly eaten by Eagle, but not by all Stork.
• Baby Ducks are consumed by both Eagleand Stork.
• Mice are eaten by both Eagle and Stork.

Size of Eagle and Stork?

When it comes to size, Eagle is a well-built bird. Its size depends on the species. The male is generally three feet tall with a wingspan of 6.6 feet. The female Eagles are larger with a height of 3.5 feet and wingspan of eight feet. The largest of all Eagle species is the Giant Philippine Eagle.. Storks are huge birds. They are about two to five feet tall with wide wings that measure over 10 feet. The biggest storks in the world are the Shoebill and Marabou that stand five feet tall.

The weight of Eagles varies according to their species. The average weight of male Eagles is six to nine pounds, while it is 10-15 pounds for females. Steller’s Sea Eagle is the heaviest species with a weight of 14.75 pounds. while Average weight of Storks is 3-17 pounds depending on the species. Marabou is the largest species and weighs around 17 pounds.

Where do Eagle and Stork nest?

Eagles build huge nests on top of trees by weaving sticks and branches. Both male and female collaborate to construct the nests besides taking turns to incubate the eggs. It takes about 35 days for the eggs to hatch. The little ones fledge when they are 10-12 weeks old.

Storks build their nests on trees and shrubs that stand in flooded water. They do so to keep predators away from eating the eggs. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest, besides sharing the responsibility to incubate them for about five weeks, after which the eggs hatch. Baby Storks usually fledge 50-65 days after hatching. An interesting fact about parenting in Storks is that the parents sometimes throw some chicks out of the nests so that they can feed the healthy chicks well and support their survival.

How long do Eagle and Stork live?

The lifespan of Eagles differs based on their species. On an average it is 14-35 years in the wild. The Eagle that lived the longest in the wild was 31 years and eight months old. It lived in North America. The longest-lived Eagle in captivity was in Europe. It lived for 46 years.

Storks can live for over 30 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 35 years in captivity. The longest living species was a White Stork that lived for 39 years in Switzerland.

Are Eagle or Stork migratory birds?

Not all Eagles are migratory. If the weather, water, and food supply are favorable, they remain in the same territory. They migrate if food is in short supply or if winters become too cold for them. The place they migrate to depends on wind currents. Bald Eagles from Alaska usually migrate southward during August-January, while the ones near the Great Lake and in the Canadian region travel eastward. Eagles from Africa move around the Red Sea, passing by Suez, Egypt, and Israel. The ones in Europe are likely to move south towards sub-Saharan Africa. Within Asia, Eagles migrate from their breeding grounds during winter to places in China, Korea, Japan, and India.

Storks migrate during winters to warmer regions as they cannot find food in colder weather. They are known to migrate long distances, for instance from Europe to Africa, sub-Saharan region to South Africa or India. They mostly migrate in huge groups.

Do Eagle and Stork fly in flocks?

A flock of Eagles is known as convocation. Eagles are social and sometimes roost in groups. However, they are known to fly and hunt solitarily. At times when they have to maintain altitude and stay within the thermal column, they fly in circles. Bald Eagles are observed to fly in groups during migration.

A group of Storks is known as a muster of Storks or a phalanx of Storks. These birds are highly sociable. They stay together and migrate in massive flocks that can even encompass a thousand birds. However, during the breeding season they prefer smaller groups or solitude.

Are Eagle or Stork protected?

Eagles are protected across the world. Killing, hunting, or capturing them is a punishable offence. It is also illegal to destroy their nests or trade the birds.

Storks are a protected species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Conservation laws like the African Conservation Action Plan and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement have come up in response to concerns of the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Black Storks are not protected satisfactorily.

Are Eagle or Stork endangered?

All Eagle species are not endangered. Bald Eagles were once endangered in the USA, however conservation laws have helped a recovery in their population and they are no longer endangered. Bald Eagles population however faces threat from hunting, trapping, loss of habitat, and use of pesticides. The Great Philippine Eagles are an endangered species with only about 400 of them remaining.

Storks are extant birds. They had become extinct in the UK about 500 years back but emerged back in the 1970s. They have however become extinct in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The Adjutant Stork is endangered in India and Cambodia, and the Painted Stork is critically endangered in parts of Asia. Very few Storks are also left in Italy due to widespread poaching.

Can Eagle and Stork fly?

Eagles are remarkable flyers. They have large and widespread wings. The bird uses thermals to soar high and fly without flapping its wings. Eagles fly at a speed of 20-30 miles an hour. They are capable of flying up to 125 miles without stopping. During migration, Bald Eagles travel about 225 miles in a day.

Storks fly with their neck and legs stretched out. They flap and soar with their broad wings, using thermal air currents. They can reach altitudes of 1,500 metres above sea level and touch speeds of over 110 miles per hour. During migration, they fly nearly 4,400 miles.

Can Eagle and Stork swim?

Eagles can swim, although they are not regular swimmers. When an Eagle captures a prey in water and it is too heavy to carry, or it is unable to fly carrying it, it swims by using its feathers like oars. However, it has to get out of water quickly as the feathers become wet and heavy.

Storks are not swimmers. They do not prefer deep waters and usually choose shallow waters for their habitat.

Mating patterns among Eagle and Stork

Eagles reach sexual maturity at the age of four or five years, when their head and tail become white. In the breeding season, Eagles perform many mating rituals. The prominent among them is the Cartwheel Courtship Flight or the Death Spiral, where two Eagles fly high, clasp each other’s talons and spin down while challenging one another to let go of the grasp. This is a display of their strength and arrogance. The male and female partners build the nest together. The female generally lays one to three eggs at a time. Both partners take turns to incubate the eggs.

Storks start breeding when they are about four years old. The male bird is the first one to arrive at the nesting site. He initiates by building a nest or revamping an existing one and ducking on it. The male and female engage in elaborate mating dances. They raise a single brood each year, which consists of two to five eggs.

When is the mating season for Eagle and Stork ?

There is generally no particular mating season. Eagles mate throughout the year. However, in the case of Eagles that migrate, mating takes place as soon as the partners return to their nesting place.

The breeding season for Storks is generally the spring. This is usually from the start of February till the end of April.

Do Eagle and Stork mate for life?

Eagles mate for life. The partners are faithful to each other and stay monogamous until one of them dies.

Storks are known to be monogamous and faithful to their partners during every breeding season and even for a few years. They may find new partners during migrations or in consecutive breeding seasons. In case of monogamous partners, they generally revisit their nesting site and use the same nests with little restoration.

How do Eagle and Stork sleep?

Eagles sleep either while standing or laying down. If they have to sleep while standing, there is a locking mechanism in their feet that allows them to stay in one position. In winters, Eagles roost in communities and on large trees to maintain body heat. During the breeding season, they sleep closer to the nest to keep guard.

Storks roost in colonies. They sleep on trees and shrubs surrounded by water. Some storks even sleep standing on one leg in water.

Can Eagle and Stork be eaten?

People from different cultures are known to have consumed Eagles. The practice still exists among some tribes although the bird is protected and killing it for food is prohibited. In the USA, a few hundreds of tribes are allowed to request for a permit to kill Eagles.

Storks are edible and some people do eat them. However, the bird is protected, and it is illegal to kill them for food.

Can you hunt Eagle or Stork?

Hunting Eagles for falconry was a common practice in ancient times. However, modern conservation and protection laws do not allow hunting and killing of the birds.

Thousands of White Storks lose their lives every year due to illegal hunting for sport, especially in Lebanon and Italy. The birds are also shot for their meat. All this is despite existence of laws to protect the bird.

Can you feed Eagle or Stork?

Feeding birds in public places is discouraged in many countries like the USA, Singapore, and Dubai. In captivity, Eagles are generally fed with rats, rabbits, chicken, and meat.

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. Storks are huge birds and need to be fed a lot of food. In captivity, these birds are fed with fish, frogs, small birds, earthworms, lizards, and meat.