Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja).
Image: Brian Gratwicke from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The harpy eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world, a top predator of Neotropical rainforests. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
It hunts tree-dwelling mammals such as sloths and monkeys with enormous talons.
Range & habitat
Lowland tropical rainforest from southern Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Deforestation
- Shooting
- A naturally low reproductive rate
Why it matters
As a rainforest apex predator that needs large areas of intact forest, the harpy eagle is a flagship for protecting the lowland forests of the Americas.
Gallery
Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja); this individual is at a zoo.
Image: Perryprog, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Harpy Eagle
- IUCN Red List — look up Harpy Eagle (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
How powerful is the harpy eagle?
Why is the harpy eagle declining?
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