Harpy Eagle

We will discuss Harpy eagle with you today. They are regarded as trendy birds and are quite well-liked worldwide. Millions of people have viewed some of their photographs. So, today we’re going to provide you with all the information you need about this species, but first, you have to work for it by scrolling down our site to see the details below.

Harpy Eagle

• The Harpy eagle isn’t particularly friendly, but it’s also not particularly aggressive.
• Conservationists claim that Harpy eagles will sit on perches and allow people to approach them, but it’s unlikely that a harpy eagle would enable you to reach out and pet it.
• Its underside is predominantly white with black stripes on the feathered tarsi, while its upper side is covered in slate-black feathers.
• The gray head and the white belly are separated by a broad black band across the top breast. The head is light gray and has two crests on top.
• It is believed that the Harpy eagle’s face feathers guide sound toward its ears.

Scientific Name

Harpia harpyja 

Characteristic

Size

• These raptors can reach lengths of up to 42 inches.

Weight 

• One of the biggest eagle species is the Harpy.
• Female raptors tend to be larger than males, as is typical for raptors. Females range in weight from 13 to 20 pounds.

Wingspan

• The birds have a 36–40 inch wingspan.
• Although this is enormous, other eagles of the same size have an even bigger wingspan.
• According to theory, the Harpy eagle’s relatively narrow wingspan aids in its ability to hunt in a woodland environment.

Read also: History Of Kiwi Birds-The Native of New Zealand

Harpy Eagle Diet 

• They mostly hunt creatures that live in trees, primarily sloths and monkeys.
• Sloth species made up more than 70% of the food delivered to hatchlings in several experiments, suggesting that sloths were a major part of their diet.
• The capuchin, saki, howler, titi, spider, and squirrel monkeys are among the species that are frequently hunted as prey.
• Reptiles, parrots, kinkajous, coatimundis, anteaters, porcupines, opossums, and armadillos are some other, albeit less common, prey.

Flying Harpy Eagle

• They are skilled at catching arboreal creatures, or animals that spend all or a large portion of their life in trees.
• Also, they have exceptional agility when flying between trees and branches.
• They fly across their forest habitat with incredible agility despite having wings that may measure up to 6.5 feet across.
• Harpies prefer silk-cotton trees (kapok trees) for nesting, and they typically erect their nests 90 to 140 feet in the air.

Harpy Eagle Speed

• A Harpy is capable of reaching speeds of 50 mph. With its feet extended, it pounces on its victim and grabs it up.
• The Harpy can attack prey from both above and below thanks to its short, broad wings, which also allow it to fly practically straight up.

Harpy Eagle Nest

• A human might lie across a Harpy nest, which is around 4 feet thick and 5 feet wide.
• Depending on the size of the surrounding trees, nests are situated high up in a tree.
• An eagle pair may use and renovate the same nest after it has been constructed for a long time.
• They are a robust, silent breed that rarely makes vocal sounds. 

Harpy Eagle Habitat & Range 

• In tropical lowland rainforests, the Harpy eagle typically lives in the canopy layer.
• They are swift, agile flyers despite their size, and they typically hunt in wooded settings.
• The Central and South American jungles are home to the birds.
• They prefer vast, unbroken areas of forest, and they spend most of their time in the canopy.
• In forested settings, the Harpy eagle can be found from Mexico to northern Argentina. Harpies fly across their forest habitat with incredible agility, despite having wingspan that can measure up to 6.5 feet across.

Harpy Eagle Adaptions

• The huge, curved talons of the Harpy eagle are as large as grizzly bear claws.
• They have strong, hooked beaks that can rip through food and superb binocular and peripheral eyesight.
• They can move quickly through dense woodlands and plants thanks to their comparatively short wings.

Domestication

• They can not be domesticated.
• They would not make a good pet because they demand a lot of space for flying. 

Reproduction

• Massive nests up to five feet broad and three feet deep are constructed by harpies.
• Only every two or three years do female eagles procreate, and they only lay two eggs. For over two months, both parents will incubate the eggs, and typically only one chick will hatch.
• Harpy chicks start to fly around six months old, but they still need their parents for another six to ten months until they can fly independently.
• It will take the chicks between four and six years to attain sexual maturity.

 Egg 

• Female lay two white eggs.
• Both of these eggs are long-lasting and measure 3.9 feet deep by 4.9 feet broad.

Read also: Is Kookaburra Bird laughing or singing

Harpy Eagle Relation With Human

• The biggest hazard to harpies is habitat loss.
• For logging, raising cattle, producing crops, and oil exploration, the rainforests in which they live are cleared.
• As farmers have reported the slaughter of livestock, these huge birds are becoming a target for revenge kills.
• In normal circumstances, harpies rarely hunt cattle, but they have occasionally been observed preying on small animals in disturbed forest regions.
• Since captive breeding programs have been raising and reintroducing these birds to the wild to increase the population, the harpy is, fortunately, benefiting from several attempts to protect the rainforest.
• Based on this we can say that harpies and human interaction are not considered good.

Population

• The IUCN Red List estimates that there are between 20,000 and 49,999 Harpy eagles in existence worldwide.
• This species’ population is currently declining, and it is listed as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List.

Conservation 

• This species is currently uncommon in many locations due to years of deforestation, the destruction of nesting habitats, and poaching, especially in the northern half of its former range.
• Hunters who kill the birds for sport are currently their biggest threat.
• The San Diego Zoo has been the only zoo in the country to successfully breed this unusual bird until recently.

Rainbow Harpy Eagle

• Although impressive, the harpy eagle is not a colorful bird.
• The Amazon Rain Forest is home to this black and white bird.
• The claim that the bird is a Rainbow Harpy eagle  is thus untrue. Sergio Ramirez, a digital artist, created this.

Fun Facts

• The sparsely populated rain woods of Central and South America are home to this bird. They like to sit low to the ground for simple hunting, and they favor altitudes of 600 to 2000 meters above sea level.
• Like an owl, the facial disk feathers of the Harpy Eagle can be raised or lowered as needed. They can increase their hearing by using this process to route sound waves to their ears.
• It is regarded as an expert in environmental investigation. This bird’s presence suggests that the ecosystem as a whole is in perfect balance. 
• Harpies appear to be less adaptable predators than Jaguars and Golden Eagles in terms of their dietary patterns.

Reference Link

• https://g.co/kgs/G4HPCv

Harpy Eagle- FAQ