During this time, the male will hunt and bring food to her, and occasionally incubates the eggs, relieving her to eat. After the 2nd egg is laid, the female begins incubation for 56 days. Laying 2 eggs is thought to be a ‘back-up’ in case something happens with the first egg. The female will typically lay 2 eggs, and a clutch of 3 has even been reported however, in almost all cases, only 1 chick is raised. Use of leafy green branches is thought to act as a natural insect repellent and anti-parasite aid. Harpy Eagles also bring green sprigs to the nest, especially during the incubation and rearing stage. Over 300 branches are used to construct the nest, which is over a meter wide and nearly a meter in height. Both sexes take part in the nest building process they seek out large branches, grab them with their feet and with their powerful wings, flap until the branch snaps off. Throughout their range, several different species of trees are used including the Kapok ( Ceiba pentandra) and Cuipo ( Cavanillesia platanifolia). When it comes time to breed, a pair will construct a nest in the crown of an emergent tree, in some areas up to 50-75 meters tall! Nests are typically placed in the crown 21-41 meters above the ground, and the tree must have at least 3-4 large principal branches for suitable use. A Harpy Eagle pair maintains a home range up to 25km2. They are solitary and monogamous and mate for life. These neotropical raptors are occasionally seen in semi-disturbed habitats, forest edges and riversides provided there is enough food for them to eat, but require mature secondary or primary forest for nesting. They forage in the upper strata and canopy of the forest. Harpy Eagles require mature forest and intact habitat to survive. Females can weigh over 2x more than their mate! The main difference is by weight males weigh 4-4.8 kg (9-11 lbs.) and females weigh 7.6-9 kg (16-20 lbs.). The Harpy Eagle is 1 meter in length and has a wingspan of 2 meters long. Males and females are distinguishable by their size female Harpy Eagles are significantly larger than males. The Harpy Eagle’s hind talon is 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) in length, the same size as a grizzly bear claw! Most prey is taken in the canopy of the forest, but at times, these neotropical raptors will descend to the ground and catch terrestrial prey like agouti, peccary and even small deer. Long talons allow Harpy Eagles to catch their prey – medium-sized mammals including sloths, monkeys, tamandua, iguana, coati, agouti and even porcupines make up their diet. Crested Eagles are overall smaller and lighter built, with single crest, and has 2 color morphs (light morph and dark morph) but never show black chest band. Harpy Eagles have very strong bills and very robust tarsi and toes, key features to help distinguish it from the Crested Eagle, another large eagle which shares the same range and habitat as the Harpy Eagle.
Harpy eagle size full#
It takes 3-4 years for a young Harpy Eagle to attain full adult plumage, and reach sexual maturity around 5 years of age. Juveniles and immatures are generally light gray all over, with varying degrees of gray on back and wings depending on age and stage of molt. Adult Harpy Eagles have gray heads with crest, uniform dark charcoal gray upperparts, broad black chest band, white lower breast and belly and fine black barring on legs. These neotropical raptors are built for life inside a forest-broad, relatively short-winged (despite 2 meter wingspan!), with a long, banded tail that acts as a rudder to maneuver through the forest canopy.
It has a long, divided crest on its head, often swept back but readily held erect and often blows around freely in the breeze.
Found in the lowland rainforests of tropical America, this mighty forest eagle is on every birder’s wish list! It is easily identifiable by its massive size, which separates it from all other raptors in these tropical lowlands. Panama’s national bird-the Harpy Eagle-is the largest, most powerful eagle in the Americas.
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