Difference between Eagle and Kite

Eagle and Kite both are birds of prey. Although these birds portray some similarities, they are different from each other in terms of size, habitat, hunting style and type of prey. Let us see how an eagle differs from a kite!

Eagle:

An eagle is a bird of prey that is known for its larger size, powerful build, heavier head and a big beak. Eagles are larger than other birds of prey except for vultures. Some of its species weigh up to 18 lbs. Eagles are scavengers as well as predators. They are characterized by great vision, speed and agility and thus their ability to hunt larger animals.

An eagle's eyesight is strongest than most of the birds of prey in the animal kingdom and approximately 4-8 times stronger than the human's eyesight. This bird can grow new feathers, beak and claws. Furthermore, eagles can be categorized into two different species of eagles: the land eagle and sea eagle. The sea eagles prefer coastal habitats and more likely to prey on fish and other marine animals.

Kite:

Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey that is known for its V-shaped tail. Typically, a kite has a small head, short beak, partly bare face and long narrow wings and tail. It belongs to the Accipitridae family. As compared to eagles, they are smaller in size and weigh less. It is one of the most abundant species of Accipitridae family.

Kites are usually found worldwide in warm regions. Some kites are scavengers but also eat rodents, reptiles, insects etc. Some kites like snail kites prefer to eat snails. They are buoyant in flight, slowly flap and glide with wings angled back. There are several species of kites: Brahminy Kites are found along the rivers and Black Kites can be seen flying over a city.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between an eagle and a kite are as follows:

Eagle	Kite
It is a larger-sized bird of prey.	It is a medium-sized bird of prey.
It has a big head, a big beak, long and broad wings and a fan-shaped tail.	It has a small head, short beak, long pointed wings and V-shaped tail.
Eagles can be golden, blackish-gray and brown.	The kites can be of black, grey, brown colours.
There are mainly two groups of eagles: land eagles and sea eagles.	There are around 20-30 species of kites.
Their nests are very large, may be up to six feet wide. They build nests called eyries in tall trees or high cliffs.	They build their nest with twigs and sticks lined with grass in a tall tree near a water source.
Most species lay up to two white eggs.	Most species lay whitish or light blue two to seven eggs, usually with brown dots.
The incubation period ranges from 35 to 45 days.	The incubation period is around 30-40 days.
They are skillful hunters; they can grab a prey without landing and take flight with it.	They hunt insects, reptiles, snails and may snatch prey from other birds of prey.