The harpy eagle dwells deep inside the rainforests of the western hemisphere.
The royal crown-like feathers on the harpy eagle’s head and long stunning tails create an unmistakable sight due to its possession of black and white colored body side feathers.
Thus making it easy to recognize the harpy eagles in their habitat.
It is currently common in South America, occupying a broad range of territories despite its declining population.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Harpia |
| Scientific Name | Harpiaharpyja |
Scientific Names
Harpiaharpyja is the scientific name of the harpy eagle. The American harpy eagle and royal hawk serve as alternate names for this species.
The appearance viewed by explorers and biologists of this species claims the name of an ancient Greek mythological half-human and half-bird-looking creature.
The harpy eagle is the only living lineage of the Harpiafamily and is closely associated with the Crested Eagle and the Harpy Eagle of New Guinea. It belongs to the same Accipitridae family, including hawks, kites, harriers, vultures, and other eagles.
Appearance and Behavior
The distinctive color of harpy eagles includes a grey head, white underside, black wings, and breasts, which enable easy recognition.
The legs of the harp eagle have black strips and are largely white. The beak, eyes, and talons are also black or reddish, while the feet are yellow. The top of the head has long black crown-like feathers that can be raised when endangered.
Some scientists speculate that the crown-like feather on its head can also help direct sounds to the ears of the bird.
The harpy eagle is among the world’s largest species of eagle. One harpy eagle can measure up to 40 inches and weigh a medium dog’s size up to 20 pounds. The female harpy eagle weighs bigger than the male, but the physical difference between both sexes is small.
Harpy Eagles have an excellent vision of their prey from a distance and can maneuver thoroughly with their wings through dense forests.
Their remarkable vision enables them to see targets at a distance of about 650 feet from their proximity. They also have good listening ears compared to their poor sense of smell.
Harpy eagles can fly at a top speed of approximately 50 mph for a short period. Their long tail feathers have mainly evolved to help them steer and sail around trees and plants.
Adult harpy eagles prefer to hunt by themselves or with a breeding partner. Occasionally, a developing harpy eagle can also help.
They can attack from above or below and strike quickly before the prey realizes their presence.
A limited range of vocals and visual displays, including whistles, clicks, and croaks, are used to communicate with other Harpy eagles. Harpy eagles tend to be more vocal around the nest and quiet during hunting.
Habitat
The harpy eagle prefers to live in dense tropical rainforests on the upper canopy layers of the Western Hemisphere.
They go through both open plains and sparse forests in search of food, occupying many of the landmasses in Mexico and Central America.
Its main range covers nearly all of Brazil and some of the countries around it, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru, excluding the mountain regions of the Andes. Harpy eagles are mainly nest-builders using kapok or silk-cotton trees.
They build their nest about 90 – 140 feet above the earth, where the young chicks are safe from almost all potential predators except other birds.
Feeding
Harpy eagles feed on animals like sloths and monkeys, including capuchins, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys.
These animals are easily detected, but other animals, including rodents, lizards, young deer, and other birds, serve as supplementary.
This bird species captures and kills its prey using its long, sharp claws by exerting strong pressure on its victim.
The harpy eagle can hijack its prey, weighing up to 17 pounds, from the ground level to the sky with a solo diving action. Harpy eagles are patient hunters who can stay in a particular location or place for hours searching for food.
It can feast on its prey remains for days when it makes a kill and lasts for weeks without the need to feed.
Predators and Threats
A full-grown harpy eagle is the highest predator with less threat in the wild, but younger chicks are vulnerable, which makes them prey to other birds and predators.
For the chicks to be protected from predators, one of the parents must remain with the chicks and stay extraordinarily vigilant to defend their home at all times. Amongst the defense mechanisms adopted by the bird against predators from its young ones is the placement of their homes at a tremendous height.
The biggest threat to the existence of harpy eagles is the destruction of the tropical rainforest environment. The eagle is vulnerable to habitat loss and could also fall victim to local farmers and hunters as pets.
Reproduction and Lifespan
Harpy eagles are long-life bonded, monogamous species that choose their mates. They display high intimate affection by chirping at each other or rubbing each other’s bills together.
These couples share strong bonds and sometimes share or split marital obligations between them. They also build a nest together using animals’ fur, sticks, vegetables, and many more to construct a home about 5 feet in diameter, which is an important task.
Their mating season begins during the rainy season, around April and May. The pair mate several times in a few days, and after this, the female eagle begins to lay eggs, usually two eggs at a time, but raises one chick.
It takes two months to incubate an egg fully. When two eggs hatch, the parents leave the chicks to starve to death, giving the next hatched chick a chance to survive.
The female does most of the incubation, while the male searches for food like the barn owl. The female eagle lays eggs once every two or three years.
The chick is white when born, but after a range of six to seven months, it becomes full and begins to develop feathers.
The chick becomes a mature eagle in three years, and after four or five years, they become independent, staying within the area of their birth. A harpy eagle can live for about 25 –35 years anywhere in the wild.
Population
The IUCN is responsible for ranking many of the species on the planet. Currently, the IUCN listed the harpy eagle as practically threatened. However, the population estimates are not reliably determined in most Central America and appear to be declining.
Inland and further away from Brazil, the species remains more resilient but less widespread along the coastlines. One study shows that less than 50,000 stay in the wild.
The continuing decline and loss of the Brazilian Amazon for human development could further pressure the species. The species may have lost up to half its natural habitat within 50 years.
Experts are also worried that Amazon’s loss can be permanent at some point, and given the tremendous efforts needed to raise a single chick, it can be slow to recover once it begins to decrease again.
Conservation groups like the Peregrine Fund are trying to avoid further population declines and return the species to its former habitat.
However, local governments must step up to protect the remaining rainforest habitat from further degradation to boost harpy eagle numbers. It is also important to restore what has already been lost.
