HARPY EAGLE Harpia harpyja ©Laura Quick Harpy eagles possess the largest talons of any living eagle, and have been recorded as lifting prey up to equal their own body weight. This allows them to snatch a live sloth or monkey from tree branches, as well as other proportionately large prey items.
Habitat loss and shooting are the two chief threats to the Harpy Eagle's survival. The birds were once found from southern Mexico through Central and South America, but sadly, they have been extirpated from many areas where they once occurred. The harpy eagle was the inspiration behind the design of Fawkes the Phoenix in the Harry Potter film series.















