# Harpy Eagle — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Harpia harpyja*

> A Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is the largest and most powerful bird of prey in the Americas, a rainforest eagle that hunts tree-dwelling mammals such as sloths and monkeys from the canopy of Central and South America; the IUCN classifies it as Vulnerable.

**IUCN status:** Vulnerable (IUCN, 2021) — declining  ·  **WARN range:** Brazil, Colombia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | ~25-35 years |
| Weight | Female up to ~9 kg; male ~4-6 kg |
| Length | ~86-107 cm (34-42 in) |
| Wingspan | ~176-224 cm (about 2 m) |
| Diet | Carnivore — mainly sloths and monkeys |
| Incubation | ~53-56 days |
| Young per clutch | Usually 2 eggs, normally 1 chick reared |
| Talon length | Rear talons up to ~13 cm (5 in) |
| Baby name | Eaglet (nestling/chick) |
| CITES | Appendix I |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Accipitriformes
- **Family:** Accipitridae
- **Subfamily:** Harpiinae
- **Genus:** Harpia
- **Species:** Harpia harpyja (Linnaeus, 1758)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Vulnerable
- **Population:** Estimated ~100,000-250,000 mature individuals (2021 IUCN/BirdLife assessment), but with high uncertainty
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2021
- **CITES:** Appendix I
- Listed as Vulnerable under criteria A3cd+4cd. The global estimate is broad and uncertain; the species has been extirpated from parts of its former range, and no precise total count exists.

## Key facts: Harpy Eagle
- The Harpy Eagle is the most powerful raptor in the Americas, with rear talons reaching about 13 cm (5 in) — similar in length to a grizzly bear's claws.
- Females are far larger than males, weighing up to roughly 9 kg versus about 4-6 kg for males.
- It is a canopy ambush hunter, preying mainly on arboreal mammals such as sloths and monkeys.
- Pairs typically raise only one chick every two to three years, making the species slow to recover from losses.
- The IUCN assessed the Harpy Eagle as Vulnerable in 2021, with a decreasing population trend.
- It is listed on CITES Appendix I, the strictest level of international trade protection.

## Why the Harpy Eagle is the rainforest's apex raptor
The Harpy Eagle sits at the very top of the Neotropical rainforest food web. A large female can weigh up to about 9 kg, with hind talons reaching roughly 13 cm — longer than the claws of a grizzly bear — and legs as thick as a person's wrist. Rather than soaring over open country, it threads between trees on broad, rounded wings, using acute eyesight and hearing to detect prey in the canopy before striking with a grip strong enough to crush bone. Its diet is dominated by tree-dwelling mammals, especially sloths and monkeys, with the eagle capable of lifting prey approaching its own body weight.

## Behaviour, breeding and ecology
Harpy Eagles are monogamous and intensely territorial, defending large home ranges of canopy forest. A pair builds a massive stick nest high in an emergent tree, often a kapok, and usually lays two eggs — but typically only one chick survives and is reared. Incubation lasts roughly 53-56 days, and the single eaglet depends on its parents for many months, fledging at around six months and staying near the nest well beyond that. Because a pair raises just one young every two to three years, the species has an exceptionally low reproductive rate, which makes every breeding territory and every adult bird disproportionately important to the population.

## Threats: deforestation and persecution
The Harpy Eagle's decline is driven mainly by the loss and fragmentation of lowland tropical forest, which removes both nesting trees and the arboreal prey the eagle depends on. As large, slow-reproducing predators needing extensive intact forest, Harpy Eagles disappear quickly from logged and cleared landscapes. Direct persecution compounds the problem: because the birds are large, conspicuous and often unafraid of people, they are frequently shot out of curiosity, for trophies, or over fears about livestock. The combination of habitat loss and shooting has driven local extinctions across much of the species' former range in Central America and the southern Amazon.

## What rescue and recovery involve
Protecting Harpy Eagles centres on keeping large blocks of rainforest standing, monitoring known nests, and reducing shooting through community education. Injured, orphaned or confiscated birds may pass through rescue and rehabilitation centres, where they receive veterinary care before release or, where release is impossible, contribute to managed breeding and education. Because each pair holds a vast territory and breeds slowly, on-the-ground work tends to focus on safeguarding individual nesting trees, supporting landowners who tolerate eagles, and building local pride in the species as a flagship for the wider forest.

## Harpy Eagle vs Philippine Eagle: two giants of the canopy
| Feature | Harpy Eagle | Philippine Eagle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Harpia harpyja | Pithecophaga jefferyi |
| Range | Latin America (Mexico to Argentina) | Philippines (endemic) |
| Weight (female) | Up to ~9 kg | ~6-8 kg |
| Wingspan | ~176-224 cm | ~184-220 cm |
| Main prey | Sloths and monkeys | Monkeys, flying lemurs, other mammals |
| IUCN status | Vulnerable (2021) | Critically Endangered |

## What WARN does
WARN CIC is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation that funds local partner shelters, sanctuaries and rescue teams in five countries — Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Colombia. The Harpy Eagle's range spans much of tropical Latin America, but within WARN's network it occurs in Brazil and Colombia, where the priority is supporting partner-led forest protection, nest monitoring and the care of injured or confiscated birds. Across the rest of its range, WARN's role is wider awareness and education rather than direct operations, so we are careful to frame our funded focus honestly: practical support where we have partners, and advocacy for the canopy everywhere else.

Every Harpy Eagle needs a vast stretch of standing rainforest to survive. Your gift helps fund WARN's local partners in Brazil and Colombia to protect canopy habitat and care for rescued birds of prey.

## Frequently asked questions: Harpy Eagle
### How long do Harpy Eagles live?
Harpy Eagles are generally reported to live around 25-35 years, with similar lifespans in the wild and in well-managed captivity. Their long lives and very slow breeding rate mean populations recover slowly from losses.

### What do Harpy Eagles eat?
They are carnivores that hunt mainly tree-dwelling mammals, especially sloths and monkeys, along with other prey such as opossums, porcupines, iguanas and snakes. They hunt from the canopy and can lift prey approaching their own body weight.

### How big is a Harpy Eagle?
Body length is about 86-107 cm (34-42 in) with a wingspan around 176-224 cm (roughly 2 m). Females are much heavier than males, weighing up to about 9 kg compared with around 4-6 kg for males.

### Are Harpy Eagles dangerous to humans?
Harpy Eagles are powerful predators but do not hunt people and attacks on humans are extremely rare. They will defend a nest if approached, and their main prey is medium-sized mammals in the forest canopy, not humans.

### How many Harpy Eagles are left?
There is no precise global count. The 2021 IUCN assessment estimates the population in the broad range of about 100,000-250,000 mature individuals, but with high uncertainty and a clearly decreasing trend; the species has already vanished from large parts of its former range.

### Why is the Harpy Eagle endangered or threatened?
It is classed as Vulnerable mainly because of rainforest loss and fragmentation, which destroy nesting trees and prey, compounded by shooting and persecution. Its very slow reproduction — usually one chick every two to three years — makes recovery difficult.

### What is a baby Harpy Eagle called?
A young Harpy Eagle is called an eaglet (or nestling/chick while in the nest). Pairs usually lay two eggs but typically raise only a single eaglet.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Harpia harpyja (2021 assessment)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695998/197957213)
- [BirdLife International DataZone — Harpy Eagle factsheet](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/harpy-eagle-harpia-harpyja)
- [CITES — Appendices (Harpia harpyja, Appendix I)](https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php)
- [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — Harpy Eagle](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/harpy-eagle)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Harpia harpyja](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Harpia_harpyja/)
- [Audubon — 10 Fun Facts About the Harpy Eagle](https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-harpy-eagle)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/harpy-eagle