Harpy Eagles, The Royal Hawks

Austin Kron

The harpy eagle, Harpia Harpyja, is one of the largest and most powerful birds of prey in the world. Its 3-5 inch talons rival the claws of a grizzly, and it’s no surprise that they place it at the top of the leaderboard for the largest talon of any living eagle (activewild.com). This great raptor is endemic to Central and South America, where it is the apex predator. This means that it is at the top of the food chain and has no natural predators. Because of the raptors large size it is able to take down rather large prey, such as monkeys, deer, and one of the harpys favorite meals: sloths. The raptors pure strength and prowess give local humans a sense of awe, but also instills a sense of fear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGMmQBiU1Ls

Historically the harpy eagle ranged from southern Mexico all the way down to northern Argentina. However, the raptor has been extirpated from much of its former habitat. The main reason for this is human interaction. The same sense of awe that the local people hold for the great predator is matched by a sense of fear. Because the harpy is an apex predator, it will hold its ground when humans approach, making it an easy target for poaching. Due to its low population densities and slow reproductive rate, hunting has proven to be a significant factor in the species population (iucnredlist). The fact that harpy eagles also compete with humans for prey also threatens its livelihood. Another major threat to the harpy eagle is the loss of habitat. Harpy eagles live under the canopy in large areas of forest, and the increased rate of deforestation directly correlates to the species population. Insert Map (neotropical birds) (datazone). Over the next three generations, or 56 years, it is suspected that the population will decrease by 27.6-45.5% and the species population will decline 25-30% (iucnredlist).

 Current range of harpy eagles (Neotropical Birds)

Historic range of harpy eagles (Bird Life)

Because of the threats to the harpy eagles continued existence, it was first listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife on June 14, 1976 and listed under Appendix 1 on CITES January 1, 1975 (USFWS). However, the Red List has listed the raptor as near threatened since 2004 (iucnredlist). Although both agencies list the raptor as at least threatened, neither have released a recovery plan for the species. Instead, a separate agency, the Peregrine Fund, has taken control of the species recovery.

The Peregrine Fund did this by starting captive breeding program back in 1989. The program was located in Boise, Idaho, however, the climate was too dissimilar to that of Central/South America and only 10 chicks survived to hatching in 7 years. Because of this, the Peregrine Fund created the Neotropical Raptor Center in 2001. The center is located in Panama City and became the new home for captive breeding. The new environment was more consistent with the raptors natural habitat and 17 eagles hatched in first year alone. Over the course of captive breeding, almost 50 harpy eagles were released in Panama and Belize since 1998. The captive breeding program ended in 2006 and the last captive birds were released in 2008 (Peregrine Fund).

The Peregrine Fund not only started the captive breeding program, but also carried out extensive education campaign designed to teach people that Harpy Eagles aren’t dangerous and that they should be protected. This was done through conducted talks at schools and in communities, teacher training workshops, radio messages and commercial jingles, and festivals (Peregrine Fund).

Although the conservation acts have helped rehabilitate the harpy eagle population, the species will still need help to fully recover. With rainforest deforestation being one of the main causes for harpy eagle imperilment, it is up to us to put an end to it. By living a more sustainable lifestyle, the need for wood being supplied by the rainforests will decline and the harpy eagles natural habitat will no longer be in jeopardy. You can also help the conservation of the species by donating to the Peregrine Fund or the Neotropic Raptor Center. To learn even more about the harpy eagle, check out The Peregrine Fund, Neotropical Birds, and Bird Life.

References:

• Harpy Eagle Facts. (2016). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.activewild.com/harpy-eagle-facts/
• Harpy Eagle. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.arkive.org/harpy-eagle/harpia-harpyja/
• Harpy Eagle. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Harpy_Eagle
• Harpy Eagle. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=20613
• Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/harpy-eagle-harpia-harpyja
• Harpia Harpyja. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22695998/0
• Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?sId=4743