Harpy eagle

The harpy eagle is one of the biggest and most powerful eagles in the world, and the largest bird of prey in its range. It has a grey head with a split crest of feathers, a black band across its chest and talons as big as a human hand. Its wings are rather short, so it can twist and turn among tree trunks.

It lives in the upper layer of tropical lowland rainforest, from southern Mexico down to northern Argentina. It hunts sloths, monkeys and other animals that live in trees. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable. It is shy and hard to find.

A hunter of the treetops

The harpy eagle waits and watches from the canopy. When it spots a sloth or a monkey, it dashes through the branches, snatches the animal and carries it away.

Its back claws can be about 13 centimetres long, longer than the claws of a grizzly bear, which makes it a powerful grip. Its short wings let it turn quickly between the tree trunks.

A name from myth

The scientific name Harpia harpyja comes from Ancient Greek stories about the harpies, wind spirits that carried the dead and were pictured as part bird, part woman.

The eagle is rare and shy. Cutting down the rainforest has made it disappear from much of its old range, and it is nearly gone from most of Central America. Tropical forest protection is the key to keeping the eagle alive.

On the globe

The globe places the harpy eagle in the rainforest between southern Mexico and northern Argentina. Look for the split crest and big talons.