Doug Velting
The harpy eagle is among the largest, most powerful eagles in the world. Standing at 36 to 40 inches and weighing up to 20 lbs with a wingspan of 6½ feet, not many birds of prey can match it in size or strength.
Their claws are 4 to 5 inches long, which is the same length as those of a grizzly bear, but are razor sharp. Their feet are the same size as a man’s hand and have a grip strength of 530 lbs per square inch. They are powerful enough to carry prey close to the weight of the eagle itself.
The harpy eagle’s wingspan is proportionally short for a bird of prey but broad, providing it with the maneuverability it needs to hunt in its home territory, the rainforest of Central and South America. Their main prey includes sloths, monkeys, opossums, and tree squirrels. They will also hunt deer fawns, macaws, porcupines, and arboreal anteaters.
If the forest canopy is open, they will fly through the trees looking for prey. At times, a harpy eagle will fly over the tree tops, looking for an unwary monkey. But most of the time, this eagle will sit on a perch and wait for a meal to come to it.
The harpy eagle has eyes eight times better than a human’s. They have facial feathers arranged in the shape of a disk that can be lifted or lowered at will. These help sound waves reach the ears, similar to an owl’s facial disk. This allows them to both watch and listen for potential prey, ready to swoop in for the kill.
Female harpy eagles build large stick nests that measure around 3 feet deep and 5 feet across, high in the fork of a tree. Harpy eagles mate for life and use the same nest site year after year. The female will lay two eggs, but ignore the second egg as soon as the first egg is hatched, so the couple only raises one chick at a time.
The egg is incubated for 56 days, and when the chick is 36 days old, it can hop around and start using its wings. The chick fledges at 6 months, but the male will continue feeding it for another 6 to 10 months. A harpy eagle is not fully mature until the age of 4 to 6 years.
While today’s populations of harpy eagles are vulnerable to habitat changes, God designed them to adapt well to their lush, tropical environment. He provided them with the features they would need to survive and thrive in a crowded and diverse landscape.
I will also meditate on all Your works, and talk of all your deeds. (Psalm 77:12)
