Harpy Eagle

The harpy eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world, found in the tropical lowland rainforests of Central and South America, identifiable by its broad wings, a distinctive double crest of feathers on its head, and immense, curved talons larger than those of a grizzly bear. Adapted for hunting within dense forest canopy rather than open sky, it preys mainly on tree-dwelling mammals such as sloths and monkeys, along with birds and other arboreal animals, striking with tremendous force after a fast, agile pursuit through the trees. Harpy eagles nest high in the emergent trees of primary rainforest, raising a single chick roughly every two to three years in one of the slowest reproductive cycles of any eagle. Because it depends on large tracts of undisturbed forest and relatively large prey, the species is highly sensitive to deforestation, and widespread habitat loss and hunting have driven steep population declines across much of its range, leaving it classified as near threatened, with local extinctions in parts of Central America.