View source for Harpy eagle

{{Short description|Species of eagle}}
{{About|the harpy eagle of the Americas|the harpy eagle of New Guinea|Papuan eagle}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = [[Holocene]] - Recent<ref>{{cite web | url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=137202 | website=Fossilworks: web-based portal to the Paleobiology Database |title= ''Harpia harpyja'' (harpy eagle) | access-date=2022-02-04}}</ref>
| image = Harpia harpyja 001 800.jpg
| image_caption = At the [[Parque das Aves]] in the [[Foz do Iguaçu]], Brazil
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2021 |title=''Harpia harpyja'' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T22695998A197957213 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22695998A197957213.en |access-date=28 September 2022}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org|archive-date=2007-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203100154/http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
| display_parents = 2
| genus = Harpia
| parent_authority = [[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1816
| species = harpyja
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| range_map = Harpy Eagle Range.svg
| range_map_caption = The harpy eagle is rare throughout its range, which extends from Mexico to Brazil (throughout its territory)<ref name="avesderapinabrasil">{{cite web |url=http://www.avesderapinabrasil.com/harpia_harpyja.htm |website=Aves de Rapina |title= Gavião-Real ''Harpia harpyja'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |access-date=2014-01-25 |language=pt-br}}</ref> and Argentina (only the north). (note: map distribution in [[Trinidad and Tobago]] and [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]] is erroneous)
| synonyms = *''Vultur harpyja'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
}}

The '''harpy eagle''' ('''''Harpia harpyja''''') is a large [[Neotropical realm|neotropical]] species of [[eagle]]. It is also called the '''American harpy eagle''' to distinguish it from the [[Papuan eagle]], which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle.<ref name="TingayKatzner2011">{{cite book|author=Tingay, Ruth E.|author2=Katzner, Todd E.|title=Rt-Eagle Watchers Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zg8o2Yi-va8C&pg=PA167|date=23 February 2011|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-5814-9|pages=167–|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> It is the largest [[bird of prey]] throughout its range,<ref>{{cite book|title=The illustrated atlas of wildlife|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedatlas0000unse|url-access=registration|year=2009|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25785-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedatlas0000unse/page/n116 115]}}</ref> and among the largest [[Extant taxon|extant]] species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland [[rainforest]]s in the upper (emergent) [[canopy (biology)|canopy]] layer. Destruction of its natural [[habitat]] has caused it to vanish from many parts of its former range, and it is nearly [[extirpated]] from much of [[Central America]]. It is the [[Monotypic taxon|only member]] of the [[genus]] '''''Harpia''''', which, together with ''[[Harpyopsis]]'', ''[[Macheiramphus]]'' and ''[[Morphnus]]'', forms the subfamily [[Harpiinae]].

==Taxonomy==
The harpy eagle was first described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his landmark 1758 [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']] as ''Vultur harpyja'',<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=C | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. | publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). | year=1758 | volume=v.1 | quote=V. occipite subcristato. | page=86 | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726991 | access-date=2024-04-03}}</ref> after the mythological beast [[harpy]]. It is now the only species placed in the genus ''Harpia'' that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist [[Louis Pierre Vieillot]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Vieillot | first=Louis Pierre | author-link=Louis Pierre Vieillot | year=1816 | title=Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire | publisher=Deterville/self |  location=Paris | page = 24 | language=French| url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9745205x/f30.item }}<!--BHL has a scan of an 1883 reprint - same pagination http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12830237 --></ref><ref>{{cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=376 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16109015 | access-date=2024-04-03}}</ref> The harpy eagle is most closely related to the [[crested eagle]] (''Morphnus guianensis''), the [[Papuan eagle]] (''Harpyopsis novaeguineae'') and the [[bat hawk]] (''Macheiramphus alcinus''), the four composing the subfamily [[Harpiinae]] within the large family [[Accipitridae]]. Previously thought to be closely related, the [[Philippine eagle]] has been shown by [[DNA analysis]] to belong elsewhere in the [[Bird of prey|raptor]] family, as it is related to the [[Circaetinae]].<ref>{{cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.010| last1 = Lerner| first1 = Heather R. L.| last2 = Mindell| first2 = David P.| date = November 2005| title = Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA| journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution| volume = 37| issue = 2| pages = 327–346| pmid = 15925523| bibcode = 2005MolPE..37..327L| url = http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hlerner/LM2005.pdf| access-date = 31 May 2011}}</ref>

The [[species|specific]] name ''harpyja'' and the word "harpy" in the common name both come from [[Ancient Greek]] ''harpyia'' ({{wikt-lang|grc|ἅρπυια}}). They refer to the [[harpy|harpies]] of Ancient [[Greek mythology]]. These were wind spirits who flew the dead to [[Hades]] or [[Tartarus]], purported to have the lower body and talons of a raptor and the head of a woman, standing anywhere from the height of a tall child to as high as a grown man; some depictions have the creatures possessing an eagle-like body with the exposed breasts of an elderly female human, a giant wingspan and the head of a grotesque, sharp-toothed, mutant eagle—something more akin to a [[goblin]] with wings.<ref name="Piper2007">{{cite book |first=Ross |last=Piper |author-link=Ross Piper |title=Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals |url=https://archive.org/details/extraordinaryani0000pipe|url-access=registration |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33922-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/extraordinaryani0000pipe/page/89 89]}}</ref>

==Description==
The upperside of the harpy eagle is covered with slate-black [[feather]]s, and the underside is mostly white, except for the feathered [[Tarsometatarsus|tarsi]], which are striped black. A broad black band across the upper breast separates the gray head from the white belly. The head is pale grey, and is crowned with a double crest. The upperside of the tail is black with three gray bands, while the underside of it is black with three white bands. The irises are gray or brown or red, the cere and bill are black or blackish and the tarsi and toes are yellow. The [[plumage]] of males and females is identical. The [[Tarsometatarsus|tarsus]] is up to {{cvt|13|cm}} long.<ref name=RaptorsWorld>{{cite book|author1=Ferguson-Lees, J.|author2=Christie, David A.|title=Raptors of the world|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlIztc05HTQC&pg=PA717|year=2001|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-618-12762-7|pages=717–719|access-date=2016-10-22}}</ref><ref name="Howell">{{cite book|author=Howell, Steve N. G. |title=A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America|url=https://archive.org/details/guidetobirdsofme0000howe|url-access=registration |date=30 March 1995|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-854012-0}}</ref>

Female harpy eagles typically weigh {{cvt|6|to|9|kg}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-06-25|title=Size of Harpy Eagle {{!}} Rainforest Top Predator {{!}} Whitehawk Birding Blog|url=https://www.whitehawkbirding.com/size-of-harpy-eagle/|access-date=2020-06-26|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Miranda" /><ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name=HBW>Thiollay, J. M. (1994). Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja''). p. 191 in: del Hoy, J, A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal, eds. (1994). ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]].'' Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona; {{ISBN|84-87334-15-6}}</ref> One source states that adult females can weigh up to {{cvt|10|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freewebs.com/alexlees/Trinca%20et%20al.%202008%20Cotinga.pdf |title=''Curiosity killed the bird: arbitrary hunting of Harpy Eagles ''Harpia harpyja'' on an agricultural frontier in southern Brazilian Amazonia'' |author=Trinca, C.T. |author2=Ferrari, S.F. |author3=Lees, A.C. |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Cotinga |access-date=2013-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023085607/http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/Trinca%20et%20al.%202008%20Cotinga.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-23 }}</ref> An exceptionally large captive female, "Jezebel", weighed {{cvt|12.3|kg}}.<ref name= Wood>{{cite book |last=Wood |first=Gerald |title=''The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats'' |year=1983 |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood }}</ref> Being captive, however, this large female may not be representative of the weight possible in wild harpy eagles due to differences in the food availability.<ref>{{cite book|author=O'Connor, R. J. |year=1984|title=The Growth and Development of Birds|publisher= Wiley|isbn=0-471-90345-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Arent, L.A. |year=2007|title=Raptors in Captivity|publisher= Hancock House|location= Washington|isbn=978-0-88839-613-6}}</ref> The male, in comparison, is much smaller and may range in weight from {{cvt|4|to|6|kg}}.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name=HBW/><ref name= Miranda>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10336-017-1482-3|title=Sex and breeding status affect prey composition of Harpy Eagles ''Harpia harpyja''|journal=Journal of Ornithology|volume=159|issue=1|pages=141–150|year=2018|last1=Miranda|first1=Everton B. P.|last2=Campbell-Thompson|first2=Edwin|last3=Muela|first3=Angel|last4=Vargas|first4=Félix Hernán|bibcode=2018JOrni.159..141M |s2cid=36830775}}</ref> The average weight of adult males has been reported as {{cvt|4.4|to|4.8|kg}} against an average of {{cvt|7.3|to|8.3|kg}} for adult females, a 35% or higher difference in mean body mass.<ref name= Miranda/><ref name= Whitacre>{{cite book|author=Whitacre, D. F.|author2= Jenny, J. P. |year=2013 |title=Neotropical birds of prey: biology and ecology of a forest raptor community|publisher= Cornell University Press}}</ref><ref name= CRC>{{cite book |title=''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' |edition=2nd |editor-first=John B. Jr. |editor-last=Dunning |publisher=CRC Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4200-6444-5}}</ref> Harpy eagles may measure from {{cvt|86.5|to|107|cm}} in total length<ref name="Howell"/><ref name=HBW/> and have a wingspan of {{cvt|176|to|224|cm}}.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name="Howell"/> Among the standard measurements, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] measures {{cvt|54|-|63|cm}}, the tail measures {{cvt|37|-|42|cm}}, the tarsus is {{cvt|11.4|-|13|cm}} long, and the [[Culmen (bird)|exposed culmen from the cere]] (the beak) is {{cvt|4.2|to|6.5|cm}}.<ref name= RaptorsWorld/><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130928165222/http://www.gbgm-umc.org/grupongsagip/eagle.htm Sagip Eagle]}}, Gbgm-umc.org. Retrieved 2012-08-21.</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/smithsonianmisce15011965smit Smithsonian miscellaneous collections] (1862). Archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.</ref> Mean talon size is {{cvt|8.6|cm}} in males, and {{cvt|12.3|cm}} in females.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Viloria |first1=Ángel L. |last2=Lizarralde |first2=Manuel |last3=Blanco |first3=P. Alexander |last4=Sharpe |first4=Christopher J. |title=Ethno-ornithological notes and neglected references on the Harpy Eagle ''Harpia harpyja'' in western Venezuela |journal=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club |year=2021 |volume=141 |issue=2 |pages=156–166 |doi=10.25226/bboc.v141i2.2021.a6|doi-access=free }}</ref>

It is sometimes cited as the largest eagle alongside the Philippine eagle, which is somewhat longer on average (between sexes averaging {{cvt|100|cm}}) but weighs slightly less, and the [[Steller's sea eagle]], which is perhaps slightly heavier on average (mean of three unsexed birds was {{cvt|7.75|kg}}).<ref name="Piper2007"/><ref name= CRC/><ref>{{cite journal|author=Gamauf, A.|author2=Preleuthner, M.|author3=Winkler, H.|name-list-style=amp|year=1998|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v115n03/p0713-p0726.pdf|title=Philippine Birds of Prey: Interrelations among habitat, morphology and behavior|journal=[[The Auk]]|volume=115|issue=3|pages=713–726|doi=10.2307/4089419|jstor=4089419|access-date=2019-06-27}}</ref>

The harpy eagle may be the largest bird species to reside in Central America, though large [[water bird]]s such as [[American white pelican]]s (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') and [[jabiru]]s (''Jabiru mycteria'') have scarcely lower mean body masses.<ref name= CRC/> The wingspan of the harpy eagle is relatively small, though the wings are quite broad, an adaptation that increases maneuverability in forested habitats and is shared by other raptors in similar habitats. The wingspan of the harpy eagle is surpassed by several large eagles that live in more open habitats, such as those in the ''[[Haliaeetus]]'' and ''[[Aquila (genus)|Aquila]]'' genera.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/> The extinct [[Haast's eagle]] was significantly larger than all extant eagles, including the harpy.<ref>{{cite web |website=Museum of New Zealand |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/theme.aspx?irn=1360 |title=Giant eagle (''Aquila moorei''), Haast's eagle, or Pouakai |date=22 May 2010 |access-date=4 June 2011 |archive-date=22 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522065905/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Theme.aspx?irn=1360 }}</ref>

This species is largely silent away from the nest. There, the adults give a penetrating, weak, melancholy scream, with the incubating males' call described as "whispy screaming or wailing".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/identification?p_p_spp=20613 |title=Identification – Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') – Neotropical Birds |publisher=Neotropical.birds.cornell.edu |access-date=2013-05-13}}</ref> The females' calls while incubating are similar, but are lower-pitched. While approaching the nest with food, the male calls out "rapid chirps, goose-like calls, and occasional sharp screams". Vocalization in both parents decreases as the nestlings age, while the nestlings become more vocal. The nestlings call ''chi-chi-chi...chi-chi-chi-chi'', seemingly in alarm in response to rain or direct sunlight. When humans approach the nest, the nestlings have been described as uttering croaks, quacks, and whistles.<ref name=Rettig1978>{{cite journal|author=Rettig, N.|year=1978|title=Breeding behavior of the Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'')|journal=The Auk|volume=95|pages=629–643|issue=4 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/23202|jstor=4085350|access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:Harpia harpyja stuffed specimens Berlin 33.jpg|A skull exhibited at the [[Museum für Naturkunde]], [[Berlin]]
File:Harpy Eagle with wings lifted.jpg|Harpy eagle with wings raised in attack posture
File:Harpia-harpyja-001.jpg|Harpy eagle in flight
</gallery>

==Distribution and habitat==
Relatively rare and elusive throughout its range, the harpy eagle is found from southern [[Mexico]] (incl. [[Chiapas]], [[Oaxaca]] and the [[Yucatán]] states) and south through [[Central America]], into [[South America]] to as far south as [[Argentina]]. They can still be seen by tourists and locals in [[Costa Rica]] and [[Panama]]. As their preferred habitat is rainforest, they nest and hunt predominantly in the [[emergent layer]]. The eagle is most common in [[Brazil]], where it is found across the entire country.<ref name="terra">{{cite web|url=http://noticias.terra.com.br/ciencia/sustentabilidade/gaviao-real-uma-das-maiores-aves-de-rapina-do-mundo,51184c132967b310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html|title=Gavião-real, uma das maiores aves de rapina do mundo – Terra Brasil|work=Terra |publisher=noticias.terra.com.br|access-date=2014-01-25}}</ref> With the exception of some areas of the aforementioned Panama and Costa Rica, the species is nearly extinct in [[Central America]], likely due to the logging industry's decimation of much of the Meso-American rainforests. Their habitat is expected to decline further due to climate change.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sutton |first1=Luke J. |last2=Anderson |first2=David L. |last3=Franco |first3=Miguel |last4=McClure |first4=Christopher J. W. |last5=Miranda |first5=Everton B. P. |last6=Vargas |first6=F. Hernán |last7=Vargas González |first7=José De J. |last8=Puschendorf |first8=Robert |date=July 2022 |title=Reduced range size and Important Bird and Biodiversity Area coverage for the Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') predicted from multiple climate change scenarios |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.13046 |journal=Ibis |language=en |volume=164 |issue=3 |pages=649–666 |doi=10.1111/ibi.13046 |hdl=10026.1/18797 |s2cid=245996767 |issn=0019-1019 |hdl-access=free |access-date=2023-05-17|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The harpy eagle prefers  tropical, lowland rainforests and may also choose to nest within such areas from the canopy to the emergent vegetation. They typically occur below an elevation of {{cvt|900|m}}, but have been recorded at elevations up to {{cvt|2000|m}}.<ref name=IUCN/> Within the forests, they hunt in the canopy or, rarely, on the ground, and perch on emergent trees to scout for prey. They do not generally occur in disturbed areas, avoiding humans whenever possible, but regularly visit semi-open forest and pasture mosaic, in hunting forays.<ref name="Remote">{{cite journal | last1 = Rettig | first1 = N. | last2 = Hayes | first2 = K. | year = 1995 | title = Remote world of the harpy eagle | journal = National Geographic | volume = 187 | issue = 2| pages = 40–49 }}</ref>  Harpies, however, can be found flying over forest borders in a variety of habitats, such as [[cerrado]]s, [[caatingas]], [[buriti]] palm stands, cultivated fields, and cities.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sigrist, Tomas |year=2013 |title=Ornitologia Brasileira. Vinhedo: Avis Brasilis|isbn=978-85-60120-25-3|page= 192|publisher=Avis Brasilis Editora }}</ref> They have recently been found in areas where [[High grading|high-grade forestry]] is practiced.

==Behavior==
===Feeding===
[[File:Harpy Eagle, South America.jpeg|thumb|Feeding on small prey]]
[[File:Ara and Harpia stuffed specimens Berlin 21.jpg|thumb|A stuffed specimen of a harpy eagle preying on a macaw at the [[Museum für Naturkunde]], [[Berlin]]]]

Full grown harpy eagles are at [[apex predator|the top]] of a [[food chain]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Muñiz-López|first1=R.|year=2017|title=Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') mortality in Ecuador|journal=Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment|volume=52|issue=1|pages=81–85|url=http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/researchers/uploads/208/muniz-lopez_2017_harpy_mortility_ecuador.pdf|doi=10.1080/01650521.2016.1276716|bibcode=2017SNFE...52...81M|s2cid=88504113|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=2018-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520054212/http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/researchers/uploads/208/muniz-lopez_2017_harpy_mortility_ecuador.pdf}}</ref> They possess the largest [[Claw|talons]] of any living eagle and have been recorded as carrying prey weighing up to roughly half of their own [[body weight]].<ref name=RaptorsWorld/> This allows them to snatch from tree branches live sloths and other large prey items. Most commonly, harpy eagles use perch hunting, in which they scan for prey activity while briefly perched between short flights from tree to tree.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" /> Upon spotting prey, the eagle quickly dives and grabs it. Sometimes, harpy eagles are "sit-and-wait" predators (common in forest-dwelling raptors), perching for long periods on a high point near an opening, a river, or a [[Mineral lick|salt lick]], where many mammals go to attain nutrients.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" /> On occasion, they may also hunt by flying within or above the canopy. They have also been observed tail-chasing: pursuing another bird in flight, rapidly dodging among trees and branches, a predation style common to hawks (genus ''[[Accipiter]]'') that hunt birds.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" />

A recent literature review and research using camera traps list a total of 116 prey species.<ref name="Everton">{{cite journal|first1=Everton B. P. |last1=Miranda |title=Prey Composition of Harpy Eagles (''Harpia harpyja'') in Raleighvallen, Suriname |journal=Tropical Conservation Science |volume=13 |page=194008291880078 |year=2018 |article-number=1940082918800789 |doi=10.1177/1940082918800789 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Miranda1">{{cite journal|author=Miranda, Everton BP|display-authors= et al|title=Tropical deforestation induces thresholds of reproductive viability and habitat suitability in Earth's largest eagles|journal= Scientific Reports |volume=11|issue=1 |year=2021|pages= 1–17|article-number= 13048|doi= 10.1038/s41598-021-92372-z|pmid= 34193882|pmc= 8245467|bibcode= 2021NatSR..1113048M}}</ref> Its main prey are tree-dwelling [[mammal]]s, and a majority of the diet has been shown to focus on [[sloth]]s.<ref>{{cite web|author=Santos, D. W. |year=2011 |url=http://www.wikiaves.com/548962 |title=WA548962, ''Harpia harpyja'' (Linnaeus, 1758)|website=Wiki Aves – A Enciclopédia das Aves do Brasil|access-date= August 30, 2013|language=pt-br}}</ref> Research conducted by Aguiar-Silva between 2003 and 2005 in a nesting site in [[Parintins]], [[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]], [[Brazil]], collected remains from prey offered to the nestling by its parents. The researchers found that 79% of the harpy's prey was accounted for by sloths from two species: 39% [[brown-throated sloth]] (''Bradypus variegatus''), and 40% [[Linnaeus's two-toed sloth]] (''Choloepus didactylus'').<ref name="Aguiar-Silva"/> Similar research in Panama, where two captive-bred subadults were released, found that 52% of the male's captures and 54% of the female's were of two sloth species: brown-throated sloth and [[Hoffmann's two-toed sloth]] (''Choloepus hoffmanni'').<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Janeene M. |last1=Touchton |author2=Yu-Cheng Hsu |first3=Alberto |last3=Palleroni |title=Foraging ecology of reintroduced captive-bred subadult harpy eagles (''Harpia harpiya'') on Barro Colorado Island, Panama |url=http://www.fondoperegrino.org/Touchton-Harpy.pdf |journal=Ornitologia Neotropical |volume=13 |year=2002 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509061443/http://www.fondoperegrino.org/Touchton-Harpy.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> Harpy eagles are capable of hunting all size of sloths, including full-grown adult [[two-toed sloth]]s weighing up to {{cvt|9|kg}}.<ref name=Rettig1978/>

[[File:Harpia chega ao ninho com um macaco-prego.jpg|thumb|Along with sloths, monkeys, such as the [[tufted capuchin]] (''Cebus appella''), are one of the main prey of the harpy eagle<ref>{{Cite Q|Q107387906}}</ref>]]

Another major prey of harpy eagles is [[New World monkey|monkey]]s. At several nests in [[Guyana]], monkeys made up about 37% of the prey remains found at the nests.<ref>{{cite book|author=Izor, R.J. |year=1985 |chapter=Sloths and other mammalian prey of the Harpy Eagle|pages= 343–346 |editor= G.G. Montgomery |title=The evolution and ecology of armadillos, sloths, and vermilinguas|publisher= Smithsonian Institution|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> Similarly, [[Cebidae|cebid monkeys]] made up 35% of the remains found at 10 nests in Amazonian Ecuador.<ref>{{cite book|author=Muñiz-López, R.|author2= O. Criollo |author3= A. Mendúa|year=2007|chapter= Results of five years of the "Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') Research Program" in the Ecuadorian tropical forest|pages= 23–32 |editor= K. L Bildstein|editor2= D. R. Barber|editor3= A. Zimmerman |title=Neotropical raptors|location=Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Orwigsburg, PA}}</ref> Monkeys regularly taken include [[capuchin monkey]]s, [[saki monkey]]s, [[howler monkey]]s, [[titi monkey]]s, [[squirrel monkey]]s, and [[spider monkey]]s. Smaller monkeys, such as [[tamarin]]s and [[marmoset]]s, are, however, seemingly ignored as prey by this species. {{Why|date=July 2023}}<ref name=RaptorsWorld/> Small monkeys typically weighing between {{cvt|1|and|4|kg}}, such as [[Wedge-capped capuchin]] (''Cebus olivaceus''), [[tufted capuchin]] (''Sapajus apella''), and [[white-faced saki]] (''Pithecia pithecia'') are the most frequently taken.<ref name="Everton"/><ref name = 'Ford'>{{cite journal|author=Ford, Susan M.|author2= Lesa C. Davis|title=Systematics and body size: implications for feeding adaptations in New World monkeys|journal= American Journal of Physical Anthropology |volume=88|issue=4 |year=1992|pages= 415–468|doi= 10.1002/ajpa.1330880403|pmid= 1503118|bibcode= 1992AJPA...88..415F}}</ref> Larger howler monkeys are also taken, mainly [[Colombian red howler]] (''Alouatta seniculus''), but also [[Guyanan red howler]] (''Alouatta macconnelli'') and [[mantled howler]] (''Alouatta palliata'').<ref name="Everton"/> These monkeys typically weigh between {{cvt|4.4|to|8.6|kg}} and female harpy eagles can prey on all ages and sexes, while male harpy eagles tend to focus on juveniles.<ref name= Miranda/><ref>{{cite book|author=Gil-da Costa, Ricardo|chapter=Howler monkeys and harpy eagles: A communication arms race|title= Primate anti-predator strategies |year=2007|pages= 289–307}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Peres CA |year=1990|title= A harpy eagle successfully captures an adult male red howler monkey|journal=Wilson Bull |volume=102|pages=560–561|url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v102n03/p0560-p0561.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Márquez, Pilar Alexánder Blanco |author2= Blas Chacares|title=El águila harpía (''Harpia harpyja''): Especie centinela de primates en la Reserva Forestal de Imataca|journal= La Primatología en Venezuela|volume= 145}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Sherman, P. T. |year=1991|title= Harpy eagle predation on a red howler monkey|journal= Folia Primatologica|volume= 56 |issue=1|pages= 53–56|doi=10.1159/000156528}}</ref> In one study, breeding harpy eagles hunted [[Yucatán black howler]] (''Alouatta pigra''), the largest howler monkey which can weigh between {{cvt|6.4|and|11.3|kg}}, although the ages of the monkeys taken by these eagles are unknown.<ref>{{cite book|author=Di Fiore, A.|author2= Campbell, C. |year=2007|chapter=The Atelines |editor=Campbell, C.|editor2= Fuentes, A.|editor3= MacKinnon, K.|editor4= Panger, M.|editor5= Bearder, S. |title=Primates in Perspective|location= New York|publisher= Oxford University Press|pages= 155–177 |isbn=978-0-19-517133-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Rotenberg, J. A.|author2= Marlin, J. A.|author3= Pop, L. |author4= Garcia, W. |year=2012|title= First record of a Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') nest in Belize |journal= The Wilson Journal of Ornithology|volume= 124|issue=2|pages= 292–297|doi= 10.1676/11-156.1}}</ref> Nevertheless, adults of other large monkeys can be taken by female harpy eagles, including [[woolly monkey]] (''Lagothrix cana'') and [[Peruvian spider monkey]] (''Ateles chamek''), and [[red-faced spider monkey]] (''Ateles paniscus'') which can weigh around {{cvt|5.8|to|9.4|kg}} and possibly exceeding {{cvt|10|to|11|kg}} in large males.<ref name="Everton"/><ref name="Miranda1"/><ref name="Alvarez">{{cite thesis |author=Alvarez-Cordero, Eduardo |title=Biology and conservation of the Harpy Eagle in Venezuela and Panama|publisher= University of Florida |year=1996|degree=PhD}}</ref><ref name = 'Ford'/><ref name = 'Emmons'>{{cite book|author=Emmons, L. H.|author2= F. Feer|title=Neotropical Rainforest Mammals-A Field Guide text|year=1990}}</ref>

Other partially arboreal and even land mammals are also preyed on given the opportunity. In the [[Pantanal]], a pair of nesting eagles preyed largely on the porcupine (''[[Brazilian porcupine|Coendou prehensilis]]'') and the agouti (''[[Azara's agouti|Dasyprocta azarae]]'').<ref name="avesderapinabrasil"/> Both species of [[tamandua]]s (''Tamandua mexicana'' & ''T. tetradactyla'') are taken and [[armadillo]]s, especially [[nine-banded armadillo]] (''Dasypus novemcinctus'') are also taken,<ref name="Everton"/><ref name="Miranda1"/> as well as carnivores such as [[kinkajou]]s (''Potos flavus''), [[coati]]s (''Nasua nasua'' & ''N. narcia''), [[tayra]]s (''Eira barbara''), and occasionally [[margay]]s (''Leopardus wiedii'') and [[crab-eating fox]]es (''Cerdocyon thous'').<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name="Everton"/> In one instant, an adult [[greater grison]] (''Galictis vittata'') was killed and partly consumed by subadult female harpy eagle.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Casanova, Gabriel Enrique Maldonado|author2= Ramiro Ninabanda |author3= Mayra Licuy |title=Depredación de grisón grande (''Galictis vittata'') por Águila Harpía ''Harpia harpyja'' |journal= Revista Ecuatoriana de Ornitología |volume=8|issue=1 |year=2022|pages= 44–47|doi= 10.18272/reo.v8i1.2594 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Those carnivoran prey species usually weigh around {{cvt|1.4|to|7.2|kg}},<ref>{{cite book|author=Hunter, Luke|title= Field guide to carnivores of the world|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|year= 2020}}</ref><ref name = 'Emmons'/> but there is a report that harpy eagles prey on possibly larger carnivores such as [[ocelot]] (''Leopardus pardalis'') and adult [[crab-eating raccoon]] respectively.<ref name="Alvarez"/><ref name="Miranda" /> Other mammals, such as young [[peccaries]], [[Brocket deer|deer]] fawns, [[squirrel]]s and [[opossum]]s are additionally taken.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" />

The eagle may also attack bird species such as [[macaw]]s: At the Parintins research site, the [[red-and-green macaw]] (''Ara chloropterus'') made up for 0.4% of the prey base, with other birds amounting to 4.6%.<ref name="Aguiar-Silva">{{cite journal|author=Aguiar-Silva, F. Helena|year=2014|title=Food Habits of the Harpy Eagle, a Top Predator from the Amazonian Rainforest Canopy |doi=10.3356/JRR-13-00017.1|journal=Journal of Raptor Research|volume=48|issue=1|pages=24–35|s2cid=86270583|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |author=Aguiar-Silva |year=2007 |url=https://bdtd.inpa.gov.br/handle/tede/2000 |title=Dieta do gavião-real ''Harpia harpyja'' (Aves: Accipitridae) em florestas de terra firme de Parintins, Amazonas, Brasil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405041914/https://bdtd.inpa.gov.br/handle/tede/2000 |archive-date=2019-04-05 |access-date=2019-01-18 }}</ref> Other [[parrot]]s have also been preyed on, as well as [[Cracidae|cracids]] such as [[curassow]]s and other birds like [[seriema]]s.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/> In one occasion, dependent juvenile male eagle quickly learned how to hunt [[black vultures]] (''Coragyps atratus'') and accounted for 9 of our 10 records of harpy predation on vultures.<ref name="Miranda1"/> Additional prey items reported include [[reptile]]s such as [[iguana]]s, [[Tupinambis|tegu]]s, [[snake]]s, and [[amphisbaenid]]s.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name=HBW/> In [[Suriname]], [[green iguana]]s (''Iguana iguana'') can be important prey source, and predation on [[yellow-footed tortoise]] (''Chelonoidis denticulata'') have been recorded twice.<ref name="Everton"/>

The eagle has been recorded as taking domestic livestock, including chickens, [[sheep|lambs]], [[goat]]s, and young pigs, but this is extremely rare under normal circumstances.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/> They control the population of [[Mesopredator release hypothesis|mesopredators]] such as capuchin monkeys, which prey extensively on bird's eggs and which (if not naturally controlled) may cause local extinctions of sensitive species.<ref>{{cite web|author=Shaner, K. |year=2011 |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Harpia_harpyja.html |title=''Harpia harpyja''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406072340/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Harpia_harpyja.html |archive-date=2011-04-06 |website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date= August 21, 2012}}</ref>

Males usually take relatively smaller prey, with a typical range of {{cvt|0.5|to|2.5|kg}} or about half their own weight.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" /> The larger females take larger prey, with a minimum recorded prey weight of around {{cvt|2.7|kg}}. Adult female harpies regularly grab large male howler or spider monkeys or mature sloths weighing {{cvt|6|to|9|kg}} in flight and fly off without landing, an enormous feat of strength.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" /><ref name="sandiegozoo.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-harpy_eagle.html |website=San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes|title= Harpy Eagle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013113849/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-harpy_eagle.html |archive-date=2007-10-13|access-date= 2012-08-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|language=pt |title=Gavião-real |url=http://webserver.eln.gov.br/Pass500/BIRDS/1birds/p52.htm |work=Brasil 500 Pássaros |publisher=Eletronorte |access-date=July 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211202713/http://webserver.eln.gov.br/Pass500/BIRDS/1birds/p52.htm |archive-date=February 11, 2010 }}</ref> Prey items taken to the nest by the parents are normally medium-sized, having been recorded from {{cvt|1|to|4|kg}}.<ref name="RaptorsWorld" /> The prey brought to the nest by males averaged {{cvt|1.5|kg}}, while the prey brought to the nest by females averaged {{cvt|3.2|kg}}.<ref name="Rettig1978" /> In another study, floaters (i.e. birds not engaging in breeding at that time) were found to take larger prey, averaging {{cvt|4.24|kg}}, than those that were nesting, for which prey averaged {{cvt|3.64|kg}}, with prey species estimated to weigh a mean of {{cvt|1.08|kg}} (for [[common opossum]]) to {{cvt|10.1|kg}} (for adult [[crab-eating raccoon]]).<ref name="Miranda" /> Overall, harpy eagle  prey weigh between {{cvt|0.3|and|6.5|kg}}, with the mean prey size equalling {{cvt|2.6|±|0.8|kg}} <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Aguiar-Silva|first1=F. Helena|last2=Sanaiotti|first2=Tânia M.|last3=Luz|first3=Benjamim B.|year=2014|title=Food Habits of the Harpy Eagle, a Top Predator from the Amazonian Rainforest Canopy|journal=Journal of Raptor Research|volume=48|pages=24–35|doi=10.3356/JRR-13-00017.1|s2cid=86270583|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Breeding===
In ideal habitats, nests would be fairly close together. In some parts of Panama and Guyana, active nests were located {{cvt|3|km}} away from one another, while they are within {{cvt|5|km}} of each other in Venezuela. In Peru, the average distance between nests was {{cvt|7.4|km}} and the average area occupied by each breeding pairs was estimated at {{cvt|4300|ha}}. In less ideal areas, with fragmented forest, breeding territories were estimated at {{cvt|25|km}}.<ref name=HBW/> The female harpy eagle lays two white eggs in a large stick nest, which commonly measures {{cvt|1.2|m}} deep and {{cvt|1.5|m}} across and may be used over several years. Nests are located high up in a tree, usually in the main fork, at {{cvt|16|to|43|m}}, depending on the stature of the local trees. The harpy often builds its nest in the crown of the [[Ceiba pentandra|kapok tree]], one of the tallest trees in South America. In many South American cultures,  cutting down the kapok tree is considered bad luck, which may help safeguard the habitat of this stately eagle.<ref>[[Ross Piper|Piper, Ross]] (2007), ''Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'', [[Greenwood Press (publisher)|Greenwood Press]].</ref> The bird also uses other huge trees on which to build its nest, such as the [[Brazil nut|Brazil nut tree]].<ref name="Hughes2009">{{cite book|author=Hughes, Holly|title=Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xMDPksxFhCYC&pg=PA178|date=29 January 2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-43162-7|page=178|access-date=22 October 2016|archive-date=22 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422221721/https://books.google.com/books?id=xMDPksxFhCYC&pg=PA178|url-status=live}}</ref> A nesting site found in the Brazilian [[Pantanal]] was built on a ''cambará'' tree (''[[Vochysia|Vochysia divergens]]'').<ref>[http://www.avesderapinabrasil.com/harpia_harpyja.htm Harpia (gavião-real)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720071214/http://www.avesderapinabrasil.com/harpia_harpyja.htm |date=2010-07-20 }}. Avesderapinabrasil.com. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref>

No display is known between pairs of eagles, and they are believed to mate for life. A pair of harpy eagles usually only raises one chick every 2–3 years. After the first chick hatches, the second egg is ignored and normally fails to hatch unless the first egg perishes. The egg is incubated around 56&nbsp;days. When the chick is 36&nbsp;days old, it can stand and walk awkwardly. The chick fledges at the age of 6&nbsp;months, but the parents continue to feed it for another 6 to 10&nbsp;months. The male captures much of the food for the incubating female and later the eaglet, but also takes an incubating shift while the female forages and also brings prey back to the nest. Breeding maturity is not reached until birds are 4 to 6&nbsp;years of age.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref name=Rettig1978/><ref name="Remote"/> Adults can be aggressive toward humans who disturb the nesting site or appear to be a threat to their young.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/06/harpy-eagle-attack-cameraman | newspaper=guardian.co.uk | author=Vaughan, Adam | date=July 6, 2010 | title=Monkey-eating eagle divebombs BBC filmmaker as he fits nest-cam | access-date=December 11, 2016 | archive-date=March 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307153228/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/06/harpy-eagle-attack-cameraman | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Status and conservation==
[[File:Harpia harpyja -Belize Zoo-8-3c.jpg|right|thumb|Subadult in [[Belize Zoo]]]]

Although the harpy eagle still occurs over a considerable range, its distribution and populations have dwindled considerably. It is threatened primarily by [[habitat loss]] due to the expansion of logging, cattle ranching, agriculture, and prospecting. Secondarily, it is threatened by being hunted as an actual threat to livestock and/or a supposed one to human life, due to its great size.<ref>Talia Salanotti, researcher for the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research, cf. ''O Globo'', May the 13th. 2009; abridgement available at [http://oglobo.globo.com/ciencia/maior-aguia-das-americas-gaviao-real-sofre-com-destruicao-das-florestas-3161585 Maior águia das Américas, gavião-real sofre com destruição das florestas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012075228/http://oglobo.globo.com/ciencia/maior-aguia-das-americas-gaviao-real-sofre-com-destruicao-das-florestas-3161585 |date=2012-10-12 }}; on the random killing of harpies in frontier regions, see Cristiano Trapé Trinca, Stephen F. Ferrari and Alexander C. Lees [http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/Trinca%20et%20al.%202008%20Cotinga.pdf Curiosity killed the bird: arbitrary hunting of Harpy Eagles ''Harpia harpyja'' on an agricultural frontier in southern Brazilian Amazonia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428102301/http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/Trinca%20et%20al.%202008%20Cotinga.pdf |date=2011-04-28 }}. ''Cotinga'' 30 (2008): 12–15</ref> Although the harpy eagle is not actually known to prey on humans and only rarely on domestic stock, a scientifically documented case of this species attacking an adult woman has been reported,<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Epelboin, L.|author2=Mutricy, R.|author3=Pelletier, V.|author4=Fremery, A.|author5=Dechelle, M.|author6=Ottema, O.|author7=Pfefer, S.|author8=Sinasac, J.|author9=Uriot, S.|author10=Claessens, O.|author11=Miranda, E.B.P.|year=2025|title=Unveiling the Myth: Harpy Eagle ''Harpia harpyja'' Attacks on a Human in the Amazon Forest|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=15|issue=4|at=e71266|doi=10.1002/ece3.71266|pmid=40290381 |pmc=12022001 |bibcode=2025EcoEv..1595.R2E }}</ref> and its large size and nearly fearless behaviour around humans reportedly making it an "irresistible target" for hunters.<ref name=HBW/> Such threats apply throughout its range, in large parts of which the bird has become a transient sight only; in [[Brazil]], it was all but wiped out from the [[Atlantic Forest|Atlantic rainforest]] and is only found in appreciable numbers in the most remote parts of the [[Amazon basin]]; a Brazilian journalistic account of the mid-1990s already complained that at the time it was only found in significant numbers in Brazilian territory on the northern side of the Equator.<ref>"Senhora dos ares", ''Globo Rural'', {{ISSN|0102-6178}}, 11:129, July 1996, pp. 40 and 42</ref> Scientific 1990s records, however, suggest that the harpy Atlantic Forest population may be migratory.<ref>[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3526&m=0 Alluvion of the Lower Schwalm near Borken] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105050335/http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3526&m=0 |date=2009-01-05 }}. Birdlife.org. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref> Subsequent research in Brazil has established that, as of 2009, the harpy eagle, outside the Brazilian Amazon, is critically endangered in [[Espírito Santo]],<ref>Where an adult male was observed in August 2005 at the preserve kept by mining corporation [[Vale do Rio Doce]] at [[Linhares]]: cf. {{cite journal|doi=10.1590/S0101-81752006000400040|title=Registro recente de harpia, ''Harpia harpyja'' (Linnaeus) (Aves, Accipitridae), na Mata Atlântica da Reserva Natural Vale do Rio Doce, Linhares, Espírito Santo e implicações para a conservação regional da espécie|year=2006|last1=Srbek-Araujo|first1=Ana C.|last2=Chiarello|first2=Adriano G.|journal=Revista Brasileira de Zoologia|volume=23|issue=4|page=1264|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] and [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]], endangered in [[Rio de Janeiro (state)|Rio de Janeiro]], and probably extirpated in [[Rio Grande do Sul]] (where a recent (March 2015) record was set for the [[Parque Estadual do Turvo]]) and [[Minas Gerais]]<ref>Nevertheless, in 2006, an adult female – probably during migration – was seen and photographed at the vicinity of Tapira, in the Minas Gerais [[cerrado]]: cf. {{cite journal|url=http://www.ararajuba.org.br/sbo/ararajuba/artigos/Volume144/ara144not8.pdf |author1=Oliveira, Adilson Luiz de  |author2=Silva, Robson Silva e |title=Registro de Harpia (''Harpia harpyja'') no cerrado de Tapira, Minas Gerais, Brasil |journal=Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=433–434 |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102015907/http://www.ararajuba.org.br/sbo/ararajuba/artigos/Volume144/ara144not8.pdf |archive-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref> – the actual size of their total population in Brazil is unknown.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Couto, Clarice |url=http://revistagloborural.globo.com/GloboRural/0,6993,EEC1705361-1641-3,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819091110/http://revistagloborural.globo.com/GloboRural/0,6993,EEC1705361-1641-3,00.html |archive-date=2014-08-19 |title=Viva a Rainha|journal=Globo Rural|volume=25|issue=288|page=65}}</ref>

Globally, the harpy eagle is considered [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] by [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]]<ref name=IUCN/> and threatened with extinction by [[CITES]] (appendix I). [[The Peregrine Fund]] until recently considered it a "conservation-dependent species", meaning it depends on a dedicated effort for captive breeding and release to the wild, as well as habitat protection, to prevent it from reaching [[endangered]] status, but now has accepted the near threatened status. The harpy eagle is considered critically endangered in Mexico and Central America, where it has been extirpated in most of its former range; in Mexico, it used to be found as far north as [[Veracruz]], but today probably occurs only in [[Chiapas]] in the [[Selva Zoque]]. It is considered as near threatened or vulnerable in most of the South American portion of its range; at the southern extreme of its range, in Argentina, it is found only in the [[Paraná River|Parana]] Valley forests at the province of [[Misiones]].<ref>[http://www.redyaguarete.org.ar/misiones/corredorverde/e/index.html The Misiones Green Corridor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613175943/http://www.redyaguarete.org.ar/misiones/corredorverde/e/index.html |date=2010-06-13}}. Redyaguarete.org.ar. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref><ref>For a map of the species historical and current range, see Fig. 1 in {{cite journal|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0007336 |title=It's not too Late for the Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja''): High Levels of Genetic Diversity and Differentiation Can Fuel Conservation Programs|year=2009|editor1-last=Ellegren|editor1-first=Hans|last1=Lerner|first1=Heather R. L.|last2=Johnson|first2=Jeff A.|last3=Lindsay|first3=Alec R.|last4=Kiff|first4=Lloyd F.|last5=Mindell|first5=David P.|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=4|issue=10|article-number=e7336|pmid=19802391|pmc=2752114|bibcode=2009PLoSO...4.7336L|doi-access=free}}</ref> It has disappeared from [[El Salvador]], and almost so from [[Costa Rica]].<ref name="Weidensaul">{{cite book|last=Weidensaul|first=Scott|title=The Raptor Almanac: A Comprehensive Guide to Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Vultures|url=https://archive.org/details/raptoralmanaccom0000weid|url-access=limited|publisher=Lyons Press|location=New York, New York|year=2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/raptoralmanaccom0000weid/page/280 280]–81|isbn=978-1-58574-170-0}}</ref>

===National initiatives===
[[File:Harpia harpyja -Sao Paulo Zoo, Brasil -adult-8a.jpg|upright|right|thumb|Adult at São Paulo Zoo, Brazil]]

Various initiatives for restoration of the species are in place in various countries. Since 2002, the [[The Peregrine Fund|Peregrine Fund]] initiated a conservation and research program for the harpy eagle in the [[Darién Province]].<ref>[http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesResults.asp?specID=8040 Harpy Eagle ''Harpia harpyja''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720160030/http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesResults.asp?specID=8040 |date=2011-07-20 }}. Globalraptors.org. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref> A similar—and grander, given the dimensions of the countries involved—research project is occurring in [[Brazil]], at the [[National Institute of Amazonian Research]], through which 45 known nesting locations (updated to 62, only three outside the [[Amazon basin|Amazonian basin]] and all three inactive) are being monitored by researchers and volunteers from local communities. A harpy eagle chick has been fitted with a [[transmitter|radio transmitter]] that allows it to be tracked for more than three years via a satellite signal sent to the [[Brazilian National Institute for Space Research]].<ref>[http://gaviaoreal.inpa.gov.br/ Projecto Gavião-real] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201144940/http://gaviaoreal.inpa.gov.br/ |date=2014-02-01 }} INPA; ''Globo Rural'', 25:288, page 62</ref> Also, a photographic recording of a nest site in the [[Carajás National Forest]] was made for the Brazilian edition of ''[[National Geographic Magazine]]''.<ref>Rosa, João Marcos (2011-06-22). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110706151352/http://viajeaqui.abril.com.br/national-geographic/blog/joao-marcos-rosa.shtml Mirada alemã: um olhar crítico sobre o seu próprio trabalho]}}. abril.com.br</ref>

In Panama, the Peregrine Fund carried out a captive-breeding and release project that released a total of 49 birds in [[Panama]] and [[Belize]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Watson|first1=Richard T.|last2=McClure|first2=Christopher J. W.|last3=Vargas|first3=F. Hernán|last4=Jenny|first4=J. Peter|date=March 2016|title=Trial Restoration of the Harpy Eagle, a Large, Long-lived, Tropical Forest Raptor, in Panama and Belize|journal=Journal of Raptor Research|volume=50|issue=1|pages=3–22|doi=10.3356/rapt-50-01-3-22.1|issn=0892-1016|doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[The Peregrine Fund|Peregrine Fund]] has also carried out a research and conservation project on this species since the year 2000, making it the longest-running study on harpy eagles.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Harpy Eagle {{!}} The Peregrine Fund|url=https://peregrinefund.org/projects/harpy-eagle|access-date=2020-06-27|website=peregrinefund.org|archive-date=2020-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629203005/https://peregrinefund.org/projects/harpy-eagle|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Belize]], the Belize Harpy Eagle Restoration Project began in 2003 with the collaboration of [[Sharon Matola]], founder and director of the [[Belize Zoo]] and the [[The Peregrine Fund|Peregrine Fund]]. The goal of this project was the re-establishment of the harpy eagle within [[Belize]]. The population of the eagle declined as a result of forest fragmentation, shooting, and nest destruction, resulting in near [[Local extinction|extirpation]] of the species. Captive-bred harpy eagles were released in the [[Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area]] in [[Belize]], chosen for its quality forest habitat and linkages with [[Guatemala]] and [[Mexico]]. Habitat linkage with [[Guatemala]] and [[Mexico]] were important for conservation of quality habitat and the harpy eagle on a regional level. As of November 2009, 14 harpy eagles have been released and are monitored by the Peregrine Fund, through satellite [[telemetry]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080705120137/http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/update_6.html The Belize Harpy Eagle Restoration Program (BHERP)]}}. belizezoo.org</ref>

In January 2009, a chick from the all-but-extirpated population in the Brazilian state of [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]] was hatched in captivity at the preserve kept in the vicinity of the [[Itaipu Dam]] by the Brazilian/Paraguayan state-owned company [[Itaipu Binacional]].<ref>[http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL964321-5598,00-AVE+RARA+NO+BRASIL+NASCE+NO+REFUGIO+BIOLOGICO+DE+ITAIPU.html G1 > Brasil – NOTÍCIAS – Ave rara no Brasil nasce no Refúgio Biológico de Itaipu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212014557/http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL964321-5598,00-AVE+RARA+NO+BRASIL+NASCE+NO+REFUGIO+BIOLOGICO+DE+ITAIPU.html |date=2009-02-12 }}. G1.globo.com. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref> In September 2009, an adult female, after being kept captive for 12 years in a private reservation, was fitted with a radio transmitter before being restored to the wild in the vicinity of the [[Pau Brasil National Park]] (formerly [[Monte Pascoal]] NP), in the state of [[Bahia]].<ref>''Revista Globo Rural'', 24:287, September 2009, 20</ref>

In December 2009, a 15th harpy eagle was released into the [[Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area]] in Belize. The release was set to tie in with the [[United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009]], in [[Copenhagen]]. The 15th eagle, nicknamed "Hope" by the Peregrine officials in Panama, was the "poster child" for forest conservation in Belize, a [[developing country]], and the importance of these activities in relation to [[climate change]]. The event received coverage from [[Belize]]'s major media entities, and was supported and attended by the [[U.S. Ambassador to Belize]], [[Vinai Thummalapally]], and [[British High Commissioner]] to [[Belize]], Pat Ashworth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=15760&frmsrch=1|title=The Importance of Hope, the Harpy Eagle|publisher=7 News Belize|date=2009-12-14|access-date=2009-12-16|archive-date=2010-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722064006/http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=15760&frmsrch=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Colombia]], as of 2007, an adult male and a subadult female confiscated from wildlife trafficking were restored to the wild and monitored in [[Paramillo National Park]] in [[Córdoba Department|Córdoba]], and another couple was being kept in captivity at a research center for breeding and eventual release.<ref>Márquez C., Gast-Harders F., Vanegas V. H., Bechard M. (2006). [http://www.siac.net.co/sib/catalogoespecies/especie.do?idBuscar=213&method=displayAAT ''Harpia harpyja'' (L., 1758)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707053738/http://www.siac.net.co/sib/catalogoespecies/especie.do?idBuscar=213&method=displayAAT |date=2011-07-07 }}. siac.net.co</ref> A monitoring effort with the help of volunteers from local Native American communities is also being made in [[Ecuador]], including the joint sponsorship of various Spanish universities<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atbc2013.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sponsor-flyer-atbc2013.pdf |title=Sponsorship and Exhibition at ATBC OTS |year=2013 |work=International Conference Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and the Organization for Tropical Studies. 23–27 June 2013, San José, Costa Rica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203230134/http://atbc2013.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sponsor-flyer-atbc2013.pdf |archive-date=February 3, 2014 }}</ref>—this effort being similar to another one going on since 1996 in [[Peru]], centred around a native community in the [[Tambopata Province]], [[Madre de Dios Region]].<ref>Piana, Renzo P. [http://www.inkaways.com/Tambopata.swf "The Harpy Eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') in the Infierno Native Community"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429010313/http://www.inkaways.com/Tambopata.swf |date=2015-04-29 }}. inkaways.com</ref> Another monitoring project, begun in 1992, was operating as of 2005 in the state of [[Bolívar (state)|Bolívar]], [[Venezuela]].<ref>{{in lang|es}} {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081204184544/http://www.ecoportal.net/Contenido/Temas_Especiales/Animales/Programa_de_conservacion_del_aguila_arpia Programa de conservación del águila arpía]}}. Ecoportal.net (2005-12-15). Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref>

==In human culture==
[[File:Animal figures in the Maya codices (Plate 20) BHL41003954.jpg|thumb|upright|Depiction of harpy eagles in [[Maya codices]] according to the 1910 book, ''Animal figures in the Maya codices'' by [[Alfred Tozzer]] and [[Glover Morrill Allen]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tozzer |first1=Alfred M. |last2=Allen |first2=Glover M. |title=Animal figures in the Maya codices |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41003878#page/8/mode/1up |via=Biodiversity Heritage Library |access-date=25 November 2020 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125190849/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41003878#page/8/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

The harpy eagle is the [[List of national birds|national bird]] of Panama and is depicted on the [[coat of arms of Panama]].<ref name="Goldish2007">{{cite book|author=Goldish, Meish |title=Bald Eagles: A Chemical Nightmare|url=https://archive.org/details/baldeagleschemic00gold|url-access=registration |date=2007|publisher=Bearport Publishing Company, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-59716-505-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/baldeagleschemic00gold/page/29 29]}}</ref>  The 15th harpy eagle released in Belize, named "Hope", was dubbed "Ambassador for Climate Change", in light of the [[United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belizezoo.org/newsletters/raptor-education-soars-in-toledo.html|title=Raptor Education Soars in Toledo|publisher=The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center|year=2013|access-date=2013-12-05|archive-date=2014-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202124120/http://www.belizezoo.org/newsletters/raptor-education-soars-in-toledo.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=15760|title=The Importance of Hope, the Harpy Eagle|date=December 14, 2009|work=7 News Belize|access-date=2 November 2015|archive-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007121505/http://7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=15760|url-status=live}}</ref>

The bird appeared on the reverse side of the Venezuelan [[Hard bolívar|Bs.F]]&nbsp;2,000 note.

The harpy eagle was the inspiration behind the design of Fawkes the Phoenix in the [[Harry Potter film series]].<ref name="Lederer2007">{{cite book|author=Lederer, Roger J. |title=Amazing Birds: A Treasury of Facts and Trivia about the Avian World|year=2007|publisher=Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-7641-3593-4|page=106}}</ref> A live harpy eagle was used to portray the now-extinct [[Haast's eagle]] in BBC's ''[[Monsters We Met]]''.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Haast%27s_Eagle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114124408/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Haast%27s_Eagle|archive-date=2012-01-14|title=Haast's eagle videos, news and facts|work=BBC|access-date=2014-01-25|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Indigenous cultures===
In [[Aztec]] religion the harpy eagle was sacred to [[Quetzalcoatl]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2012/10/evidence-of-mushroom-worship-in-mesoamerica/ |title= Evidence of Mushroom Worship in Mesoamerica |access-date= 11 September 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140912050238/http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2012/10/evidence-of-mushroom-worship-in-mesoamerica/ |archive-date= 12 September 2014 |first= Carl |last= de Borhegyi |date= 30 October 2012 |work= The Yucatan Times}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==References and notes==
<!-- BulletinOfTheBritishOrnithologistsClub127:152. CytogenetGenomeRes117:103. RevistaBrasileiraDeOrnitologia14:157,14:401. -->
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Harpy}}
* [http://www.animalspot.net/harpy-eagle.html Harpy eagle Facts and Pictures] on AnimalSpot.net
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/harpy-eagle-harpia-harpyja Harpy eagle videos, photos & sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection
* [http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/harpy.html Harpy eagle information and photo]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205753/http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/harpy.html |date=2011-07-07 }}
* [https://peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/eagles/harpy-eagle The Peregrine Fund-Harpy Eagle]

{{Accipitrimorphae|A.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar |from=Q53745}}

[[Category:Harpiinae]]
[[Category:Eagles]]
[[Category:Birds of Central America]]
[[Category:Birds of Mexico]]
[[Category:Birds of Panama]]
[[Category:Birds of the Amazon rainforest]]
[[Category:Birds of Brazil]]
[[Category:Birds of Colombia]]
[[Category:Birds of Venezuela]]
[[Category:Birds of the Guiana Shield]]
[[Category:Birds of prey of South America]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Endangered biota of Mexico]]
[[Category:National symbols of Panama]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1758]]
[[Category:Apex predators]]