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Harpy eagle Facts

Harpy eagle Facts
Harpy eagle is a raptor and one of the largest eagles on the planet. It can be found in Central and South America. Harpy eagle inhabits lowland tropical rainforests and occasionally open forests. It prefers areas with tall trees that provide enough food. Habitat loss and intentional killing are major threats for the survival of harpy eagles in the wild. Harpy eagle is listed as near threatened which means that it can become endangered in the near future.
Interesting Harpy eagle Facts:
Harpy eagle can reach 34 to 42 inches in length and 8.8 to 20 pounds of weight. Females are larger than males.
Harpy eagle has black backs, grey face and white belly. Males and females look alike.
Harpy eagle has wingspan of 69 to 88 inches and long tail that facilitate navigation and maneuvering through dense canopy.
Harpy eagle has large, curved beak, strong legs and 3 to 4 inches long talons (longer than the claws of grizzly bears).
Harpy eagle is diurnal animal (active during the day).
Harpy eagle has keen eyesight and excellent sense of hearing that are used for detection of the prey.
Harpy eagle is a carnivore (meat-eater). It hunts and eats sloths, monkeys, baby deer, coatimundis, javelinas, agoutis, porcupines, armadillos, raccoons and parrots.
Harpy eagle does not have to hunt every day. Large prey, stashed in the trees, can be consumed couple of days in a row.
Harpy eagles mate for a lifetime and evenly share parental duties. They produce offspring once every two or three years.
Pair of harpy eagles occupies territory of 20 square miles.
Harpy eagles nest high in the trees, usually 130 feet above the ground. Both male and female participate in building of the nest that is usually 6 feet wide and one foot deep. One nest contains more than 300 branches. Harpy eagles continually bring fresh green twigs to the nest to keep it clean from the parasites and insects.
Female lays 1 or 2 white eggs that hatch after incubation of 55 days. Male occasionally assists in the incubation, but his major duty is to provide food for the nest. Only one egg survives.
Harpy eagle reaches adult size 5 to 6 months after hatching. At about the same time, young bird is ready to leave the nest for the first time. It becomes proficient in the air after only couple of days. Young harpy eagle is ready for the independent life at the age of 1 to 2 years, when it can hunt and provide food for itself.
Feathers of young harpy eagle are almost completely white and light grey. Young bird attains adult coloration at the age of 5 years. Harpy eagle starts to reproduce at the age of 4 to 6 years.
Harpy eagles can survive 25 to 35 years in the wild.


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