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Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), Geographic Range from Central…

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), Geographic Range from Central…

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Geographic Range from Central America to northern Argentina Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (native ). Habitat Harpies live in new world tropical rain forests scattered throughout Central and South America. Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest . Physical Description Mass 8.20 kg (average) (18.04 lbs) The Harpy eagle has a two meter wingspan; body length to one meter. Harpies are black above with white undersides, except for a black chest band. Females are one-third larger than males. Both sexes have a crest of large feathers on their heads, which they raise when they hear noise. Like owls, harpies have a facial disk of smaller feathers, which may focus sound waves to sharpen hearing. Harpies are tremendously successful predators with talons longer than those of a grizzly bear. Some key physical features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry . Reproduction Harpyja, as with eagles in general, is monogamous, mating for life. It nests in very tall trees with widely-spaced branches to 40 meters up. In Guyana, kapok trees are favored; because local indians consider it bad luck to cut them down, silk-cotton or kapok trees are spared. Females lay one or two eggs, but only the first hatched survives. Chicks are fed for ten months or more, requiring a long dependency. Adults raise only one chick every two or three years. Sexual maturity is at four or five years and the chick may return to the nest in the tree in which it was born. Key reproductive features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous . Behavior Harpyjae conserve energy by perching quietly, watching and listening for long periods of time. They hunt in short bursts of speed. Larger females hunt heavier prey than the smaller, more agile and swift male. These complementary techniques may increase overall success in obtaining food. Larger prey, such as sloths and monkeys, is consumed partially until it can be carried back to the nest. Key behaviors: motile . Food Habits Harpies hunt at least nineteen species of animals, sixteen of which are arboreal. These include sloths, which make up slightly more than one-third of diet; primates, which make up slightly less than one-third; and birds, representing 5% of total prey. Economic Importance for Humans: Negative No real impact, although trappers of parrots kill these eagles occasionally as they consider them competition; macaws are, however, an insignificant part of the harpys