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Harpy eagles are the largest and most powerful birds in the world. They inhabit the tropical forests of Central and South American, ranging from Southern Mexico to Argentina. The female Harpy averages three and a half feet in length and weighs about twenty pounds. Her wingspan is about six and a half feet. Typically, the male is about one third smaller than the female. Being a predator, the Harpy's diet consists of mostly monkeys and sloths, which live high in the canopy. Their talons can be up to five inches long. A female can kill prey weighing twenty pounds, but has to tear it apart to transport it. Harpy eagles reproduce every three years. The four to five feet in diameter nest of a Harpy is usually built in a tall tree, about 150 to 225 feet above the ground. Typically, two eggs are laid, but only one eaglet will be raised. The incubation cycle is about eight weeks. The male brings food for them and their eaglet. It will be another six months before the eaglet is able to leave the nest, but remains near the nest for about a year. Harpy eagles will not abandon their nest or young as other eagles sometimes do. Instead, they will attack intruders. Depletion of the rain forests is a constant threat to the Harpy eagle. The Harpy Eagle Conservation Program works with South American governments, logging companies, and local people to protect nesting sites. Bibliography |