Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Harpy Eagle
| Harpy Eagle | ||||||||||||||
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| Harpia harpyja (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The name harpy eagle usually refers to the neotropical eagle, Harpia harpyja (see below for other birds called harpy eagles). It is one of the largest and most powerful living eagles.
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Range
The Harpy Eagle is found in lowland tropical rainforest from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Physical Statistics
Length: 1 m (females are longer than males), wingspan: 2 m, weight: 8 kg (females are heavier than males). Coloration: dark grey overall, ash-grey head, and white belly. Both sexes possess an erectile crest of long feathers. The talons are up to 5 inches long.
Feeding
This species is an actively hunting carnivore. Its main prey items are tree-dwelling mammals such as monkeys, coatis, sloths, etc; it may also attack other bird species.
Conservation Status
Harpia harpyja is on the IUCN red list of endangered species
Miscellaneous
The Harpy Eagle is the national bird of Panama.
The Harpy Eagle is also the animal that artists drew from to create Fawkes the phoenix for the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Other Harpies
Alternatively, the term Harpy Eagle may refer to several species of large to very large tropical forest eagles, including the above species plus the New Guinea Harpy Eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae), the Philippine (Monkey-eating) eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the Black Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius) and the Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus), and the Guiana Crested Eagle (Morphnus guianensis).
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