FEATURE BIRD - Guyana Birding News Vol 2
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Harpy Eagle
(Harpia Harpyja)
Identification
The largest eagle in the Americas and one of the largest and most powerful birds of prey in the world, the Harpy Eagle is often called the "Flying Wolf". It has slate-black feathers above and a white/light grey underside, with a black band across the chest. An unusual double crest of grey head feathers - raised when the bird is alerted or angry - adds to its formidable appearance. A facial disk of feathers, similar to that of an owl, helps focus sound waves and provides for enhanced hearing capabilities.
As with many birds of prey, the female Harpy can be nearly twice as large as the male: up to one meter (3.3 feet) in height and nine kilos (20 pounds) in weight, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). Compared to other eagles its wings are relatively short, a design which allows for superior speed and maneuverability while navigating the thick foliage of the rainforest. Harpy talons can grow as long as five inches, and are longer than the claws of a brown bear. They protrude from yellow feet as large as a human hand.
Habitat
Harpy Eagles are found in tropical lowland forests from southeastern Mexico through Central and South America to Paraguay and northern Argentina. However, due to extensive deforestation, severe habitat fragmentation throughout its range, and human predation (usually to defend domestic animals), the bird is now an endangered species. It is listed as "Near Threatened" by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and appears on the "Red List" of threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
Guyana, with its vast stretches of undisturbed rainforest, has one of the healthiest populations of Harpy Eagles. They can most often be seen in the Rupununi region. In recent months they have been spotted by birders in far ranging parts of Guyana: in the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation deep in the interior and Development and near Shanklands Rainforest Resort near the coast. Active nests also are reported in the Central and South Rupununi regions.
Behavior
Harpy Eagles are monogamous, mating for life. Their nests, built loosely of sticks and fresh leaves, are usually located in the fork of trees that tower above the main canopy, often as high as 30 to 40 meters (100 to 130 feet). In Guyana, Harpy Eagles favor ceiba and kapok trees. The birds generally produce two eggs but raise only one chick, neglecting the second egg after the first hatches. Both parents care for the chick, providing food for up to ten months but raising only one bird every two to three years.
With a name that derives from the ferocious half woman, half vulture creatures of Greek mythology, it's no surprise that Harpy Eagles are formidable hunters with a similarly menacing reputation. Monkeys, sloths, iguanas, possums and smaller birds, as well as other medium- and large-sized animals that inhabit the surrounding trees, are all counted among the bird's prey. Harpies are daytime hunters, able to reach speeds of up to 80 kph (50 mph) and carry prey weighing up to half their own body weight.
