It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. Facts About Eagles. Emerald tree boas are at risk from predators when they’re young, defenseless hatchlings. It is named for its similarity to a mythological beast, and some people believe it is merely a legend. Harpy Eagles are among the world’s largest and most powerful eagles. The major two threats of the Harpy Eagles are habitat loss and hunting. The crested eagle and New Guinea eagle are its closest cousins. The Jaguar rules the forest floor, the Anaconda is king is swamps and lakes, and the Harpy Eagle dominates the canopy of the rainforest. In this group of eagles, females are almost twice the size of males. Harpy eagles. Though the harpy eagle is a raptor that is marveled for its brute strength and beauty, they still need to be protected, and if education and conservation isn’t spread, this wonderful species may eventually die out. They prey on tree-dwelling mammals including sloths, monkeys, and opossums; large birds such as macaws and curassows; and reptiles like iguanas and snakes. Credit: Mdf / cc license. These powerful eagles are at the top of the rainforest food chain and have no natural predators. 36 Harpy Eagle Facts (Harpia harpyja) Birds of prey are captivating creatures, and the harpy eagle especially so. Harpy eagles are the national bird of Panama. The bird belongs to the Neotropical species of eagles. These nests are normally found in Guyana and Panama with the distance of 3 km (1.9 miles) from one another. Surprised? It is a bird so powerful that it has been seen to him to catch animals, for example lazy, of more than 6 kg. Cutting down of lofty trees means extinction of harpy eagles’ habitats. The harpy eagle has the biggest talons of any eagle species. It is now time to take the excitement one step further. Other articles where Harpy eagle is discussed: eagle: The harpy eagles, named after the foul, malign creatures (part woman and part bird) of Greek mythology, are large, powerful, crested eagles of the tropical forests of South America and the South Pacific. An Amazonian apex predator: In the Amazon rainforest, Harpy Eagles share the top of the food chain with Jaguars and Anacondas. Miscellaneous Fun Facts About Harpy Eagles. 1. This species is named for the Greek mythological spirit that had the head of a human and the body of an eagle. The harpy eagle is an apex predator in its environment. Harpy eagles make their nests side by side. Harpy eagle has black backs, grey face and white belly. In America, it is the most powerful bird of prey. Harpy Eagle Facts (Harpy Eagle Interesting Facts): Some interesting facts about the harpy eagle are outlined below: These species use vocalizations to communicate with one another and in mating rituals. If you see one on your trip to Ecuador, you won’t soon forget it. Its body is black above and white below except for a black chest band. Like many other birds of prey, Harpy Eagles continue to bring fresh green twigs and branches to the nest after the chick has hatched. The majestic eagle. NEXT ARTICLE 7 Hoover Dam Facts for Kids January 24, 2015 - 10:00 am. They’ll hunt all kinds of snakes, including the emerald tree boa. It is becoming increasingly rare, particularly in Mexico and Central America. Harpy eagles range from Mexico to northern Argentina and live in forested areas. Harpy eagle facts about its group show that the bird is a member of genus Harpia. While some reports have suggested that juvenile harpy eagles become prey for animals like jaguars, the harpy eagle has very few natural predators as an adult. Also, open patches of forest must be nearby for hunting. Harpy eagles or "giant forest eagles" are large eagles that inhabit tropical forests. Harpy eagles can reach speeds of up to 50 mph! Harpy Eagles do not soar and their relatively shorter wings help them maneuver more easily through the trees and vines prominent in their rainforest home. Harpy Eagle Facts. As a result, they can only lay eggs every two or three years. They feed mainly on tree-dwelling animals such as sloths, monkeys, opossums, and some reptiles and other birds. They nest in the tops of the tallest trees and hunt macaws, monkeys,… From its genus Harpia, it is the single member. Harpy eagle, like Bald eagle, is also known as the American Harpy eagle. With its powerful and graceful wings, it can soar through the sky and cause traffic to stop on the side of a road for anything but modest picture. Their claws are extremely powerful and can be as large as a brown bear. Harpy eagles build large nests high in trees, and they mate for life. Females are larger than males. Quick facts. But the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) definitely stands out as the biggest and strongest of the rainforest’s raptors! 20. More interesting facts! Fun Facts for Kids. Prey is caught by flying through the trees with a quick and hard strike. Harpy Eagle Fun Facts. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the rainforest, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. The harpy eagle prefers large, uninterrupted forest habitat. Their rear talons are about 3-4 inches long – the same size as a grizzly bear’s claws! Harpy Eagle Facts | Facts about American Harpy Eagles 1. Here are 5 fascinating facts about this eagle species you probably didn’t know: A harpy eagle in flight. Native to Central and South America, this raptor is among the largest and most powerful in the world. Below are some miscellaneous fun facts about the harpy eagles which will surely give you both chills and smiles. The great harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), which ranges from southern Mexico to Brazil, is about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long and bears a crest of dark feathers on its head. Harpy eagles have thick talons that span up to 5 inches long. Males and females look alike. For nesting, harpies favor silk-cotton trees (kapok trees) and usually build nests 90 to 140 feet (27 to 43 meters) above the ground. Due to their large talons, they can prey on monkeys and sloths for dinner! The Amazon is full of amazing birds, plants, and animals. Harpy eagles are some of the largest eagles living on our planet. What does a harpy eagle look like? The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a neotropical species of eagle.It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. The eagles build large nests using sticks and branches in trees as tall as possible. Female eagles give two eggs in a nest measuring 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) in depth. Although these birds occupy similar niches, and have traditionally been grouped together, they are not all related: the solitary eagles are related to the black-hawks, and the Philippine eagle to the snake eagles. Although they don’t lay very frequently, they aggressively defend their eggs and young. Want to learn more about this fascinating eagle? Despite their wingspan, which can reach up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) across, harpies fly through their forest home with great agility. You have read about most of the features of harpy eagles in the preceding paragraphs. They can also use visual displays. The harpy eagle can attack its prey from above as well as below as they have short, broad wings that also enable them to fly almost straight up. The harpy is a solemn study in black, gray, and white. What do they eat? Harpy eagle has wingspan of 69 to 88 inches and long tail that facilitate navigation and maneuvering through dense canopy. Because the harpy always keeps a majestic distance between itself and an observer, it does not easily reveal its fascinating secrets. They only produce one chick every 2-4 years. Harpy eagles are the most powerful birds of prey in the world. Picture it perched like a carved statue in the top of the highest tree of a forest. Article by Donna Weber Jones. It is a symbol of power, strength, and thievery. Harpy Eagle at the Apex. They range from Mexico to northern Argentina. In the olden days, these birds were mostly found in the southern parts of Mexico over Central and South America to northern Argentina, but now they have been destroyed from many areas. Comments are disabled. Interesting Facts about Harpy Eagle. The eagle is largely associated with the Crested Eagle or the New Guinea Eagle. Interesting Harpy eagle Facts: Harpy eagle can reach 34 to 42 inches in length and 8.8 to 20 pounds of weight. Conservation Status and Threats: The species is at-risk due to increased habitat loss from development, logging, and agriculture. Harpy eagles control the population of mesopredators such as capuchin monkeys which prey extensively on bird's eggs and which (if not naturally controlled) may cause local extinctions of sensitive species. : Harpy Eagles are commonly believed to solely prey upon sloths and monkeys. When it comes to weight, Harpy Eagles are one of the bulkier eagle species around with males weighing about 5.9 kg on average while females weigh 7.4 kg on average. 5 Amazing Harpy Eagle Facts The harpy eagle is an important cultural symbol of some Latin American countries. Learn more amazing facts about the harpy eagle in this video from National Geographic Kids. The largest predator of the emerald tree boa are birds of prey, like the harpy and crested eagle. 133. The species is named after a creature from Greek mythology that was half-human and half-bird. 2. You can find harpy eagles anywhere from Northern Argentina to Mexico in heavily forested areas. Occasionally this species is called the American harpy eagle so as to distinguish it from Papuan eagle which some call the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. Harpy Eagle Facts. The group contains two to six species, depending on the author. Harpy Eagle Life Cycle. Young harpy eagles reach sexual maturity between the ages of 4 and 5. Interesting facts about Harpy Eagle. They are such beautiful birds, and their power is clear to see. The width of the nest measures at 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). Aside from the fact that harpy eagles are monogamous, they don’t mate until their offspring is independent. These are large birds have a wingspan of 4 – 6 feet, so they’re a formidable enemy. In Brazil, the Harpy eagle is also known as royal-hawk (in Portuguese: gavião-real). Due to their ecological similarities, the crowned eagle is considered to be the African counterpart of the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). The amazing vision of this bird can view something that is less than 1 inch away from 200 meters. The eagle is also ferocious; some records from beneath a nest show the remains of a large, male Sooty mangabey weighing 11 kg (24 lb). You might like to read these interesting harpy eagle facts for kids. Harpy eagles are one of the most impressive birds of prey in the world. Often, the pair of birds will reuse a nest for many years. Image: San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants Harpy It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the rainforest, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. The harpy eagle only lays eggs every 2-3 years. It has even been adopted as the national bird of Panama. Both male and female harpy eagles are capable of incubating their eggs. They are about 3 to 4 inches long, or about the same size of a … Harpy eagle (Harpia Harpyja) is one of the world’s largest species of eagles that is alive today. Hello Gnees Army, Good Morning, The harpy eagle is the surviving biggest eagle in the world. It (Harpia harpyja) is a neotropical species of eagle.Harpy eagles can live anywhere from 25 to 35 years in the wild. Harpy eagle facts. You’ll be interested to know that there are many things that you might not know about the eagle. The females weigh about twice as much as the male and for this they hunt significantly larger prey.