The American Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a neotropical eagle, often simply called the Harpy Eagle. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Vultur harpyja.^[2] It is the only member of the genus Harpia. Download high resolution version (436x629, 36 KB)A Harpy Eagle, from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Families Accipitridae Pandionidae Falconidae Sagittariidae The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that include the diurnal birds of prey. ... Subfamilies Elaninae Perninae Milvinae Accipitrinae Buteoninae Aegypiinae Circinae Circaetinae The Accipitridae is one of the two main families within the order Falconiformes (the diurnal birds of prey). ... Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (May 10, 1748 - 1831) was a French ornithologist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Neotropical or Neotropic relates to a biogeographical region in the New World, bordered in the north by the dry areas in Mexico and the southern states of the USA. in the south by southern Patagonia. ... Genera Several, see text. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ...

It is the largest and most powerful eagle found in the Americas, usually inhabiting tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) canopy layer. World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ...

Its name references the harpies from Ancient Greek mythology. These were wind spirits that took the dead to Hades, and were said to have a body like an eagle and the face of a human. Harpy (from Latin: Harpyia, Greek: Άρπυια, Harpuia, pl. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... Genera Several, see text. ...

Description

The Harpy Eagle is arguably the bulkiest eagle still living; however, the Philippine Eagle is the only living eagle to surpass it in size. The extinct Haast's Eagle of New Zealand was almost 50% larger. Binomial name Ogilvie-Grant, 1896 The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world. ... Binomial name Harpagornis moorei Haast, 1872 Haasts Eagle (Harpagornis moorei), was a massive, extinct eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. ...

The Harpy Eagle’s back is covered with slate black feathers and the undercarriage is coated with white. There is a black band across the chest going up to the neck. Its head is pale grey and is crowned with a double crest. This colouring gives it a fearsome look, to match its menacing reputation. Due to living in the rainforest it has short wings used for speed, it also has sharp claws which are great for catching its prey. The Harpy Eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world; it can grow to be a huge length of 36-40inches (mostly the females of this species). It can reach a weight of 20 pounds and is relatively half the height of an average-sized human.

Female Harpy Eagles average at 100-110 cm (3.3 feet) long with a 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) wingspan and typically weigh from 6.5 kg to 8 kg (14 lb to 18 lb). One exceptional captive female, "Jezebel", weighed 12.3 kg (26 lb)^[3]. Only the Philippine Eagle and the Steller's Sea Eagle approach similar dimensions. The male, in comparison, weighs only about 3.8 kg to 5.4 kg (8.5 lb to 12 lb) Binomial name Ogilvie-Grant, 1896 The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world. ... Binomial name Haliaeetus pelagicus (Pallas, 1811) Red: breeding only Green: resident all year Dark blue: winter only Light blue: vagrant range. ...

The Harpy Eagle is dark grey overall, with an ash-grey head, and white belly. Both sexes possess an erectile crest of long feathers. The talons are up to 13 cm (5 in) long, longer than a Grizzly Bear's claws. For other uses of the word head, see head (disambiguation). ... For the human abdomen, see human abdomen. ... Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ... Talon may refer to several different things: Places: Talon, Nièvre, a commune in the Nièvre département, in France Characters: a professional wrestler a fictional character in the Static Shock animated series a fictional character from the Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Objects... For the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, see Grizzly Bear (band). ...

Ecology

This species is an actively hunting carnivore. Its main prey items are tree-dwelling mammals such as monkeys, coatis, and sloths; it may also attack other bird species. The talons are extremely powerful and help assist with suppressing prey. The Harpy Eagle can exert a pressure of 42 kgf cm² ^{citation needed} (4.1 MPa or 530lbf in) with its talons. It can also lift more than three-quarters of its body weight. Carnivorism redirects here. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Approximate worldwide distribution of monkeys. ... Species Nasua nasua Nasua narica Nasua nelsoni The name coati (pronounced ) is applied to any of three species of small neotropical mammals in the genus Nasua, family Procyonidae, ranging from southern Arizona to north of Argentina. ... This article is about the South American mammal. ... The unit kilogram-force (kgf, often just kg) or kilopond (kp) is defined as the force exerted by one kilogram of mass in standard Earth gravity. ... The megapascal, symbol MPa is an SI unit of pressure. ... A pressure gauge reading in PSI (red scale) and kPa (black scale) The pound-force per square inch (symbol: lbf/in²) is a non-SI unit of pressure based on avoirdupois units. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with human weight. ...

A pair of Harpy Eagles lays two white eggs in a large stick nest high in a tree, and raise one chick every 2-3 years. After the first chick hatches the second egg is ignored and fails to hatch. The chick fledges in 6 months, but the parents continue to feed it for another 6-10 months. It can be aggressive toward humans who disturb its nesting sites or appear to be a threat to its young.

Status and conservation

Harpy Eagle in flight.

The Harpy Eagle is threatened by logging and hunting throughout its range, in large parts of which the bird has become a transient sight only: in Brazil, it was all but totally wiped out from the Atlantic rainforest and is only found in numbers in the most remote parts of the Amazon basin. The Harpy Eagle is considered near threatened by IUCN. The Peregrine Fund consider it a "conservation dependent species", meaning it depends on a dedicated effort for captive breeding and release to the wild as well as habitat protection in order to prevent it from reaching endangered status. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 280 pixelsFull resolution (2923 × 1024 pixels, file size: 370 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Harpy Eagle -- Camino del Oleoducto, Parque Nacional Soberania, Panama -- 2006 December File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 280 pixelsFull resolution (2923 × 1024 pixels, file size: 370 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Harpy Eagle -- Camino del Oleoducto, Parque Nacional Soberania, Panama -- 2006 December File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at... A typical ecosystem of Mata Atlântica at Serra do Mar Mata Atlântica is the Atlantic Rain Forest formerly covering the wet coastal hills along the Atlantic coast of Brazil (mostly in the Serra do Mar). ... Amazon River basin The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

In popular culture

• The Harpy Eagle is the national bird of Panama, and is depicted on the national Coat of arms.

Coat of arms of Panama The Panamanian Coat of Arms is a heraldic symbol for the Central American nation of Panama. ...

References and notes

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...

External links

• Harpy Eagle videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Neil Rettig's Harpy Eagle information. Includes footage, facts, and links.
• Blue Planet
• Harpy Eagle Photo with prey; Article
• San Diego Zoo info about the Harpy Eagle
• Iwokrama Forest website info about the Harpy Eagle
• Peregrine Fund info about the Harpy Eagle
• Comparison between the Harpy and the Philippine Eagles
• Expedition to Brazilian Amazon with some info about the Harpy Eagle