Now here’s a bird you’ve probably never seen before! Although Harpy Eagles have gained some popularity on the internet due to their amazing looks, now they’re mostly mentioned as a species on the verge of extinction – all thanks to humanity’s activity that destroys their forests, leaving these majestic birds without food and habitat. On a brighter note, Harpy Eagles can still be found in Brazil and some parts of South America. These beautiful birds are among the biggest eagles on Earth and if you see one, you’ll never be able to forget its powerful image!
Let’s just stop for a second appreciate the wild beauty and truly amazing appearance of the Harpy Eagle? Because of its supernatural size, many people actually think it’s not a bird, but someone dressed as one!
Needless to say, they are convinced otherwise very soon. It’s hard to mistake this eagle for something other than a huge predator that it is.
Their long sharp talons are no joke and you kind of understand this is not the bird that will feed on bugs and small insects. Nope! A Harpy Eagle will go hunting for big animals that spend most of their time in the trees – parrots, raccoons, iguanas, foxes, and sometimes even black vultures.
The face of the Harpy Eagle is very unusual and tells a lot about its character, too. Looking at this creature for the first time it’s easy to mistake it for a person wearing a costume, at least that’s what happened to the majority of people who saw the bird for the first time.
Monkeys and sloths also make their way to the eagle’s menu, although they are not easy to hunt and can protect themselves with claws and sharp teeth.
When these beautiful birds decide to mate with one another, a special union is being made. In fact, Harpy Eagles are among the few species that will stay with their partner their whole lives. Such a relationship can last up to 30 years! That’s more than most humans stay together as a couple.
Harpy Eagles build nests consisting of over 300 branches each, making them comfy for the bird family. When all the preparations are over, the mother Harpy Eagle will lay just two eggs. It will take her around 55 days of sitting on it in order to bring a baby eagle to this world.
Usually only one egg survives – either the first one hatches and mother stops incubating the second one so it doesn’t hatch or if for some reason the chick from the first egg doesn’t make it in, the couple can still try to have off-spring from the remaining egg.
Baby Harpie Eagles are born really small, but then it takes only half a year to grow up into the size of his parents. That is also the time for his first flight and while his first attempts might be somewhat shake, he will soon learn how to do it properly.