How far can an eagle see?

A sign you can read from 10 m, a wedge-tailed eagle could make out from about 22 m. The same sign? A dog has to get to about 1.3 m to see as clearly. Pick an object and an animal to see how far its eyes reach compared with yours.

Pick an object and an animal

ObjectA sign you can read from 10 mA friend you can recognise 30 m awayA shirt number you can make out from 100 mSmall print you can read at 50 cmA car you can make out 1 km awayA small bird you can make out on a branch 20 m awayA coin you can tell apart from a button at 5 mA wall clock you can read from 15 mA café menu board you can read from 3 mA tennis ball you can make out 60 m away AnimalWedge-tailed eagleCatDogHouse sparrowHorseBrown ratHouse mouseEuropean starlingRock pigeonCowTawny owlWestern honey beeGreat horned owlRhesus macaqueFruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)Harris's hawkChickenRed-tailed hawkMongolian jirdHouseflyGrey wolfPigSheepAmerican kestrelCanada gooseBarn owlBudgerigarMourning doveTurkey vultureBottlenose dolphinTufted titmouseRookDark-eyed juncoWhite-breasted nuthatchBlack kiteGoatRabbitGoldfishNorthern leopard frogPeacock mantis shrimpPortia jumping spiderCommon buzzardGriffon vultureEgyptian vultureMallardLesser scaupGreater scaupAnna's hummingbirdBrown falconIndian peafowlBlue jaySong sparrowBrown-headed cowbirdEastern towheeChipping sparrowField sparrowAmerican tree sparrowEastern meadowlarkCommon blackbirdWhite-throated sparrowWhite-crowned sparrowManx shearwaterLittle owlSnowy owlGreat grey owlCommon ostrichZebrafishStoplight loosejawPicasso triggerfishBlowfly (Calliphora vicina)Buff-tailed bumblebeeBull ant (Myrmecia gulosa)Praying mantisBig brown batBrownbanded bamboo shark

A sign you can read from 10 m, a wedge-tailed eagle could make out from about 22 m.

• You
• Wedge-tailed eagle

A simulation made from published eye studies. Not what the animal feels.

A sign you read from 10 m, through other eyes

• A sign you can read from 10 m, a cat has to get to about 1.4 m to see as clearly. Cat
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a dog has to get to about 1.3 m to see as clearly. Dog
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a house sparrow has to get to about 77 cm to see as clearly. House sparrow
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a horse has to get to about 3.2 m to see as clearly. Horse
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a brown rat has to get to about 24 cm to see as clearly. Brown rat
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a house mouse has to get to about 7.8 cm to see as clearly. House mouse
• A sign you can read from 10 m, an European starling has to get to about 99 cm to see as clearly. European starling
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a rock pigeon has to get to about 2.2 m to see as clearly. Rock pigeon
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a cow has to get to about 78 cm to see as clearly. Cow
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a tawny owl has to get to about 1.5 m to see as clearly. Tawny owl
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a western honey bee has to get to about 3.9 cm to see as clearly. Western honey bee
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a great horned owl has to get to about 1.1 m to see as clearly. Great horned owl
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a rhesus macaque has to get to about 8.1 m to see as clearly. Rhesus macaque
• A sign you can read from 10 m, a fruit fly has to get to about 2 cm to see as clearly. Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

How far can an eagle see?

A sign you can read from 10 m, a wedge-tailed eagle could make out from about 22 m. A car you can make out 1 km away, a wedge-tailed eagle could make out from about 2.2 km.

Which animal sees farthest?

Of the animals on this site, the wedge-tailed eagle has the sharpest eyes. A sign you can read from 10 m, a wedge-tailed eagle could make out from about 22 m.

Why do some animals have to get so close?

Their eyes pick up less fine detail than yours. A detail twice as small needs you twice as close, so an animal with blurrier eyes has to walk right up to what you can read from across the room.

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• Rank it: who has the best eyes?
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• Guess the Eye, the daily game

The science behind it: the numbers and studies for the wedge-tailed eagle