Green Backed Heron - Bird photography and identification
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
Photo description
Harpy Eagle with Neil Rettig. The most powerful bird of prey on Earth, the harpy eagle, weighs up to 20 pounds (nine kilograms), has a seven-foot (2.1-meter) wing span, and is armed with talons as big as grizzly bear claws. Those deadly talons can exert several hundred pounds (over 50 kilograms) of pressure, crushing the bones of the sloths, monkeys, and other prey the eagle snatches from the rain forest canopy, often killing its victims instantly. The fearsome predator once ranged from southeast Mexico to Argentina. Now, Panama's pristine rain forests are among the few places where the bird has survived.
Upload date not set | Flickr URL
Tags for this photo
Davenport Harpy Eagle Iowa Harpia harpyja
3 comments have been posted about this photo

Gini~ says:
Incredible bird, thank you for sharing him
Posted on Dec 29, 2005
Wow, I'd be scared to be in a room with this guy! Yikes.
Posted on Jan 25, 2006
The Philippine Eagle is the counter part of Harpy eagle comparable to it's strenght , size and weight. The Philippine eagle is the world's largest eagle in terms of size with the longest legs and claws and has the largest wing surface area among all the living eagles capable of more powerful lift than any other living eagles.

It hunts a variety of prey such as monkeys, flying lemurs, civet, small deer, large snakes, monitor lizards, large birds like hornbills, small dog and pigs. A 30 lbs cervus deer was found at one of its nest, also documented taking on a large python.

Philippine eagle has the largest skull and beak almost 3 times the size of Harpy eagle's beak.


Source: Haribon/The Largest Eagle in the World

i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa310/mulawin2007/nosepeck.jpg

webserv.nhl.nl/~ribot/english/haha_ng.htm

www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/eagles/introduction/3089/

birdbase.hokkaido-ies.go.jp/rdb/rdb_en/pithjeff.pdf

-(page 14of ecology)
Posted on Jan 4, 2009
To comment, visit Flickr's page for this photo.