Harpy Eagles
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Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) Location= southern Mexico through Central and South America all the way down to northern Argentina Habitat= rain forests with silk-cotton trees that provide nesting space Lifespan= 25-35 years Wingspan= Up to 6-1/2 feet Body length= 3 to 3-1/2 feet Weight= 9-20 pounds Talons= 5 inches long (the same size as a grizzly bear’s claws) Diet= sloths, monkeys, and other rain forest canopy mammals Courtship/Mating strategies= Harpy eagles mate for life; Rettig (1978) witnessed nine copulations, in the nest tree, between a pair of adult Harpy Eagle, but did not observe any sign of a courtship display prior to copulation Clutch size= clutch size is two, sometimes three. Regardless, in all or almost all cases only a single young is raised; The second egg acts as an insurance policy just in case there is something wrong with the first egg Incubation period= around 55 days Altricial/precocial= Altricial Parenting habits=Though the male may assist in incubation, the female does the most sitting on the eggs; From the time the female first lays her eggs until the nestling is about 4 months old, she will spend almost all her time at the nest. Meanwhile, the male spends his time and energy looking for food for himself, the female, and his young; 5-6 months of age
Nesting habits= They pick the highest point on the trunks of these trees, just where the branches begin to spread out, at around 130 feet high; nests are composed of large sticks and branches gathered from nearby trees; nest that can be 6 feet in diameter and more than 1 foot deep Reproduction continued= the young eagle will fledge, or fly for the first time; The young bird will remain dependent on the adults for the first [pic 1]Â one to two years of life; When a young bird turns 4 or 5 years old, it will begin looking for a partner Population= Near Threatened; 50,000 individuals; declining moderately rapidly due to hunting and habitat loss. Migratory patterns= They do not migrate Calls/Sounds=they wail (wheee, wheee-ooooo), croak, whistle, click, and mew.