Harpy Eagle on a Branch

The Majestic Harpy Eagle

I. The Thrilling Life of the Harpy Eagle 

  Down in South America, patrolling the Amazon rainforest sky, there lives a majestic bird called the Harpy Eagle.  This bird fascinates me, as it is the largest eagle and is able to survive in the dense rainforest.  My trip through the canopy with you will inform you what it is like in a day in the life of the harpy eagle.

II. Family 

     All around the world, there are members of a family of flying hunters, the Birds of Prey.The Harpy Eagle is part of this carnivourous group.  The Harpy Eagle's close relatives are buzzards and vultures.  The difference is that buzzards and vultures eat food that is already dead, but Harpy Eagles kill their prey.  When two or more Harpy Eagles gather it is called a convocation.  Usually it travels through the rainforest alone, though.

III. Appearance

      The name of the Harpy Eagle comes from the harpies of Greek Mythology, with a woman's head, vultures body, and huge claws. The Harpy Eagle has talons that can be five inches long and thicker than a grizzly bear's claws.  It also has a wingspan that can be eight feet long.  The Harpy Eagle is black and white, with a grey head and a long, black crest.  The female is larger than the male.  They be can up to twenty pounds and three feet long. 

IV. Habitat

     From Southern Mexico to Brazil and Argentina ranges the Harpy Eagle.  The nearby lowland rainforests are its home.  Here, it can meet all of its needs and does not usually leave the forest.  Because of this, it does not need to migrate.  It is always warm there.

Harpy Eagle Drawing

V. Diet

     The diet of the Harpy Eagle consists mainly of sloths and monkeys.  They also prey on macaws, tree porcupines, opossums, and other tree dwellers.  To get food, this bird will chase its prey through the forest and kill with an extremely powerful blow from its legs.  The sharp beak and talons also help.  It then enjoys a nice, meaty meal. 

Harpy Eagle Taking Off.

VI. Defense and Enemies

          Before, the Harpy Eagle had no enemies in the forest.  Now, it has a new one.  Loggers are coming into the rainforest and destroying the eagle's home.  The Harpy Eagle does need its defense, though.  When a sloth decides to swat at it, this eagle has its grizzly-like talons and sharp beak for protection.

VII. Reproduction

     Every other year, the same two Harpy Eagles get together and build a nest (unless their old one is still available).  In it, the female lays one to two eggs.  After fifty-three to fifty-eight days one egg hatches.  The other one is usually forgotten and dies.  The eaglet is ready to fly at about five months, but it still stays with its mother 

for its first year.

 A Harpy Eagle Eaglet.

VII. Relations to Humans

     Humans don't really ever see Harpy Eagles.  Even so, loggers think it is OK to go and cut down the the rainforest trees and take what they can.  If the Harpy Eagle knew what these people were doing, I bet they would hate humans.  I think we should try to give back and restore the rainforest.

IX. Population

     The population of this species is uncertain, but is decreasing.  The Harpy Eagle is definitely threatened.  This is because people are ruining the forests by cutting down trees and taking what they can for a profit.  They are destroying several animals' homes, including the Harpy Eagle's.

X. Rest

          The Harpy Eagle is a diurnal animal.  This means it is active during the day and sleeping at night.  During the day, this bird hunts.  At night it will perch on a branch and sleep, since it has no real enemies to worry about.

XI. Adaptation

          This eagle has adapted to the rainforest home in so many ways.  For example, it has developed broad wings.  It has developed these wings for diving and soaring through the tall trees.  It has also developed a sharp beak and long talons for picking apart the meat of its kill.

XII. Habits

     Harpy Eagles do have one pretty strange habit.  As you know, this bird hunts most of the day.  Sometimes it only finds a small meal to eat.  If this is so, it can turn its head upside-down to get a better look at any other suitable meal choices.  Imagine if we could do that!

Harpy Eagle

XIII. Interesting Characteristics 

     All eagles have one weird feature.  They have a third eyelid! This eyelid comes from the side of an eagle's eye.  It is called a nictitating eyelid.  This closes when the parent is feeding the eaglet.  It is there just in case the eaglet misses the meat while lunging at it (which they tend to do) and hits the parent's eye.

XIV. The Future

     Thus, I think that the Harpy Eagle is a wonderful bird that we should all take the time to learn about.  It is sad that its home is being destroyed, though.  The future of the Harpy Eagle is uncertain, but I hope that you help it exists for years to come, along with its rainforest as a shelter.  It provides so much for both human and animal.

 Harpy Eagle in Flight

Works Cited

Books:

  Lang, Aubrey. Eagles. 1990.

  Pearce, Q.L. Piranhas and othe Wonders of the Jungle. 1990. 

Encyclopedias:

  Balgooyen, Thomas. "Harpy Eagle." World Book". 2007.

  Grier, James. "Eagle." World Book. 2007.

  "Harpy Eagle." Amazing Animals of the World. 1995. 

Almanacs:

  World Almanac and Book of Facts. 2008.

Websites:

  The Peregrine Fund. http://www.peregrinefund.org/explore_raptors/eagles/harpyeag.html.

Magazines:

  Zoobook:Eagles. July 2007. Volume 24 Number Ten.