Harpy Eagle
From Freepedia
| Harpy Eagle Conservation status: Lower risk (nt) | ||||||||||||||
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| Image:Harpy Eagle2.JPG | ||||||||||||||
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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, and is found in lowland tropical rainforest from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
The Harpy Eagle is 100cm long with a 200 cm wingspan and weighs 8 kg. Females are larger and heavier than males. It is dark grey overall, with an ash-grey head, and white belly. Both sexes possess an erectile crest of long feathers. The talons are up to 5 inches long.
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. 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.
The Harpy Eagle can exert a force of 42 kg cm-2 (600 lb in-2) with its talons. It can also lift more than 3/4 of its body weight.
Other Harpies
The term Harpy Eagle may alternatively refer to several other species of large to very large tropical forest eagles, including the New Guinea Harpy Eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae), the Philippine (Monkey-eating) eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the Black Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius), the Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus), and the Guiana Crested Eagle (Morphnus guianensis).
