Harpy eagle
Type
Birds
Area
South America
Endangered Status
Threatened
facts
Harpy eagles eat monkeys, sloths, opossums, porcupines, young deer, snakes, and iguanas.
description
Powerful birds
The legs of a harpy eagle can be as thick as a small child's wrist, and its curved talons are longer than a grizzly bear's claws! It may not be the largest bird of prey (that title belongs to the Andean condor), but it is definitely the heaviest and most powerful of birds.
On the hunt
Harpy eagles are fast, agile flyers. They fly low over the rain forest and use their great talons to snatch up monkeys and sloths that can weigh up to 17 pounds! These birds are patient hunters: a harpy eagle will perch silently for hours in a tree, waiting to drop on unsuspecting prey.
Threats in the wild
You would think that the massive harpy eagle is invincible. But years of hunting, logging, destruction of nesting sites, and poaching have wiped out this bird in many areas. San Diego Zoo Global is working with other groups to help harpy eagles in the wild.
Harpy eagles are found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
