Harpies. The most powerful bird in the world is the South American harpy South American harpy

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The ancient Greeks called the winged daughters of Typhon guarding the entrance to Tartarus harpies. Terrible and beautiful at the same time, they stole the souls of small children, suddenly swooping in and disappearing without a trace, like the wind. The word "harpy" has Greek roots. It comes from the verb "harpazein", which means "to kidnap".

It is no coincidence that the South American harpy became the namesake of these wild half-women, half-birds.

Now we will talk about the modern, South American harpy.

The South American harpy (lat. Harpia harpyja) is a large bird of prey from the hawk family. The only species of its kind.

Why the emphasis on South American? Because there are other harpies. Guiana Harpy, New Guinea Harpy, Monkey-Eating Harpy or Philippine Harpy. They will be discussed separately.

In addition to birds, there is also a butterfly, under many names - the great harpy, or the spotted forktail, or the large forktail, or the harpy silkworm. Don't be confused! Birds and butterflies.

The South American harpy, a huge predator from the hawk family, is notorious.

The Indians believed that one blow from her beak could crush the skull of an adult, and she herself was constantly irritable and aggressive.

Nevertheless, it was considered a great honor to tame her, and her feathers were an extremely valuable decoration. The Indian who killed the harpy went with her to all the surrounding huts, receiving a reward at each one.

These days are long gone, but the number of South American harpies is constantly declining. In a number of countries, this forest eagle is protected, in addition, it is included in the International Red Book. And yet, the tropical forests of Central and South America, which the harpy has chosen for breeding and hunting, unfortunately continue to be actively cut down. Which leads to the disappearance of many species of animals and birds.

The population of these large South American eagles is less than 50,000 (2008 estimate) and is steadily declining. The main reason for this is the destruction of forests in the harpy nesting areas, as well as the peculiarities of reproduction: a pair usually raises only one chick every 2-3 years.

The South American harpy is very strong. Its body length is from 90 to 110 cm, and its wingspan is about two meters. Moreover, females are almost twice as large as males: they weigh more than nine kilograms, while the weight of males usually does not exceed 4.8 kg.

On the light gray head there is a black, down-curved beak and two large dark eyes. When excited, the harpy raises the wide dark feathers on its head almost vertically upward, which makes them look like small horns or ears.

It is believed that this gives her hearing additional sharpness.

The back of the South American harpy is painted dark gray, the belly is white, the wings and tail have black and white stripes, and there is a black collar on the neck.

The extremely large and powerful paws have excellent weapons: each toe ends in a long and sharp ten-centimeter black claw. With these paws the bird is capable of lifting a decent weight - if desired, it can drag away a small dog or even a young roe deer.

South American harpies feed mainly on monkeys and sloths, periodically diluting their diet with opossums, noses and macaws.

In addition, these are the only predators that can cope with arboreal porcupines.

They fly out to hunt during the day, preferring to look for prey alone. However, they live in pairs, remaining faithful to each other for many years.

A wide nest of thick branches, leaves and moss is built at a height of fifty meters and used for several years. The female lays here once every two years a single yellowish egg. The incubation period lasts about 56 days. The chick depends for a very long time on its parents, who bravely protect it.

They are capable of attacking even a careless person who wanders into a protected area. Of course, they won’t pierce the skull with their short beak, but they will be able to inflict serious wounds. One young man needed 8 stitches to his head and neck after being attacked by harpies.

At ten months of age, the South American harpy chick flies quite well, but continues to stay near the nest where its parents feed it. Interestingly, he can fast for about two weeks without harm to his health.

Sexual maturity in harpies occurs at 5-6 years.

The biggest catch.

It is reliably known that the largest animal killed and carried away by a bird was a 7-kg howler monkey, which was killed by a harpy (Harpia harpyja) in Manu National Park (Peru) in 1990. The harpy is considered the most powerful bird of prey, although its mass is only 9 kg.

Scientific classification:

Domain: Eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Subkingdom: Eumetazoans

No rank: Bilaterally symmetrical

No rank: Deuterostomes

The body length of the harpy is from 90 to 110 cm. The wingspan is approximately 2 meters. The weight of the female ranges from 6 to 9 kg, the male is smaller and weighs from 4 to 4.8 kg. The plumage on the back of the harpy is dark gray. The head is light gray with large dark eyes and a small but strong black beak. On the top of the bird’s head there are wide dark feathers, which, in moments of excitement, rise almost vertically, forming a kind of “crown”. In young animals this crest is lighter. The belly is white, the paws are feathered and dotted with narrow dark stripes. The neck is decorated with a wide dark collar. The long tail has wide gray transverse stripes. The harpy's legs are very strong and large, they can support very heavy weight. The fingers have long black claws. Like all hawks, harpies have excellent vision and hearing.

Harpies feed mainly on sloths, monkeys and other mammals, much less often they include reptiles or large birds in their diet. Thus, the prey of harpies are snakes and lizards, agouti, opossum, nosoha, anteater, armadillo, crax, cariama, and parrots. Sometimes harpies can even hunt porcupines. And from human settlements these predators kidnap piglets, lambs, and even cats.

Harpies hunt during the daytime. Prey is most often located on tree branches, where it feels safe, but a large harpy very quickly makes its way between the branches and unexpectedly grabs careless sloths, monkeys, possums or other types of mammals. The powerful paws of the predator allow it to both easily hold the caught prey and break its bones. But the harpy is considered a very insidious predator. She does not kill her victim immediately, but tears out its trachea, after which the animal suffers for a long time. Such cruelty is justified by natural necessity and allows the harpy to carry the prey while still warm to the chicks, who in turn learn to deal with the still living mammal.

Harpies also hunt in open areas. So, they can drag away even a small deer.

Bird distribution

The habitat of harpies is the tropical forests of Central and South America, ranging from Mexico to Brazil. Birds usually live in the wildest thickets of tropical forests, located near rivers or other bodies of water. Most often the bird can be seen in the forests of Brazil, Panama, Colombia and southern Mexico.

Common types of harpy

The most famous and widespread species of harpy is the South American or greater harpy (Harpia harpyja). In addition, two more related species are known: the New Guinea harpy (Harpyopsis novaeguineae) and the Guiana harpy (Morphnus guianensis).

A large bird with a body length from 71 to 89 cm, its wingspan is 138 - 176 cm. The weight of males is from 1.75 to 3 kg, females are usually slightly larger in size.

The species is native to South America and is found in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia to northern Argentina.

The Guiana harpy often lives alongside the South American harpy. But the first one, on average, is smaller in size and therefore chooses smaller prey. Among its victims are birds and small mammals (capuchins, tamarins), as well as snakes.

A very large bird with a body length from 75 to 91 cm. It is distinguished by a developed facial disc and a crest on the top of the head. The paws are not feathered. The wings are short. The tail is long. The diet consists of mammals, birds and reptiles. Hunts in the treetops.

The species is distributed in the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and is rare. The bird has been a traditional hunted object of the natives, who value its feathers highly. And it was almost completely exterminated after the local residents received firearms. Currently, the New Guinea harpy is still endangered and is very strictly protected.

Sexual dimorphism in harpies is manifested in the fact that the female is always 10-20% larger in size than the male. Individuals of different sexes do not differ from each other in plumage color.

The mating season for harpies occurs in April-May, not annually, but every other year. Harpies are monogamous birds, so when the breeding season approaches, they do not fuss, because they already have a nest and a mate.

Birds nest in the crown of trees at heights from 50 to 75 m above the ground, often near bodies of water. The harpy's nest is made wide, made of thick branches, and the birds line it inside with leaves and moss. A pair of harpies use the old nest for several years.

In one clutch the female has one or two yellowish eggs. But even two eggs are too many for the harpies, who always feed exclusively the firstborn. If a second chick is born, it usually dies of hunger right in the nest.

During the nesting period, harpies are especially aggressive and cruel. During this period, they often attack even people who disturbed them.

The harpy chick develops slowly, and its parents take care of it for a long time. Only by the 8-10th month of life can the chick fly confidently, but it is not yet able to obtain food on its own, and therefore does not fly far from the nest. His parents continue to feed him, but they come less and less often. The chick can remain without food for 10 to 14 days.

Young harpies reach sexual maturity by the age of 4, by which time their plumage becomes brighter and more saturated.

The lifespan of a harpy is up to 30 years.

Interesting facts about the bird

• The name harpy in Ancient Greece referred to the winged daughters of Typhon who guarded the entrance to Tartarus. According to legends, these wonderful and terrible half-women, half-birds were engaged in stealing the souls of small children, who were attacked unexpectedly and then disappeared without a trace, like the wind. Therefore, the word “harpy” itself is of Greek origin and is translated as “to abduct.” It is no coincidence that the predatory South American harpy received such a name. Like its namesake, this large bird from the hawk family is surrounded by an aura of notoriety. Thus, the Indians believed that one blow from its beak could crush a person’s skull, and the bird itself was very aggressive. At the same time, harpies were tamed, which was a great honor for the owner, and beautiful, valuable jewelry was made from its feathers. If an Indian happened to kill a harpy, then in every hut of his settlement he received a reward for this act.
• The harpy is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. The largest individual recorded in captivity weighed about 12 kg.
• Harpies are the official symbol of the state of Panama; its coat of arms is decorated with the image of a bird.
• Today, the population of South American harpies numbers about 50,000 individuals, but continues to decline. The main reason is the destruction of forests where these birds are accustomed to nest. In addition, harpies reproduce rather slowly: a pair of birds raises only one chick once every few years. Therefore, harpies are under strict protection.

The South American harpy is the largest bird of prey belonging to the hawk family. Its name is translated from ancient Greek as “kidnapping,” since even in ancient times the bird managed to gain a bad reputation. The Indians were sure that with the help of her powerful beak she could easily break a human skull... and they were not far from the truth.

The South American harpy bird is considered one of the largest birds in the world. Its body reaches a length of about a meter, and its weight is up to 9 kilograms.

• The area of ​​the back, elytra and chest has dark gray plumage.
• The lower part and the area under the wings are painted in a light color.
• The head is small, the beak is short but powerful, the feathers in this part are wide and dark.
• During excitement, the feathers on the head rise slightly, forming something like a horn, which gives the predator a more intimidating appearance.
• Due to its long and tenacious nails, the harpy is capable of lifting quite a lot of weight.

These birds hunt during daylight hours, picking up prey located on tree branches. Despite their large size, the birds move nimbly through the dense forest. The prey is not killed instantly - they tear out its trachea, as a result of which the victim remains in a half-dead state for a long time. This approach to hunting allows adults to bring still warm food to their offspring. Hunting in open areas, a harpy is able to grab even a small deer.

Wingspan of a bird from the hawk family

In flight, this parameter in an adult can reach up to 2 meters, but the bird moves well both in open areas and among the tropical forest. The harpy can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, while possessing acute vision and excellent hearing.

Habitat of the South American harpy

This neotropical bird is represented in Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and several other South American countries. Predators try to get into the most remote and secluded corners of the tropical forest, as they show special sensitivity to the disturbance factor.

Most often they are found at an altitude of 0.9 kilometers, but individuals have been found that have climbed to a height of 2 kilometers. In most cases, nests are built in Brazil nut trees.

Today there are about 50 thousand representatives of the South American harpy. Their numbers are constantly decreasing. This is mainly due to the destruction of forests in which birds nest. Plus, these representatives of the fauna hatch chicks on average once every 2 to 3 years.

Interesting facts about the bird of prey

• The harpy is the symbol of Panama. It is her image that can be seen on the state coat of arms.
• The bird is often confused with the forest eagle, which nests in the forests of South and Central America.
• This is one of the strongest birds, it is capable of harming even humans, and often displays aggression and irritability.
• Due to its long claws (up to 10 centimeters), its paws can rightfully be considered a powerful weapon.
• A harpy can easily attack a small roe deer or dog.
• The basis of its diet is made up of nimble monkeys and sloths, which are critically inferior to them in speed, but it can also feast on the nose, possum and even the macaw parrot.
• This type of bird is the only one that can easily feast on a porcupine.
• Attacks on people are possible if they enter its territory. There was a recorded case where a person received 8 stitches due to an unexpected encounter with a predator.
• For 2 weeks, a harpy can remain without food and not experience any discomfort.

Features of behavior

The mating season of birds falls in April - May. Harpies build their nests on tall trees, at a level of 50–75 meters, and also try to choose a place near a reservoir. The nest is spacious, consists of large branches, and the inside is lined with moss and leaves. It can be used for many years.

One clutch of a female consists of 1 or 2 eggs that have a yellowish tint. As practice shows, the bird feeds only the chick that was born first; the second, as a rule, dies from lack of food.

During nesting, birds exhibit particular aggression and cruelty. They even attack people if they disturb them in any way.

The development of the South American harpy chick is quite slow, so parents are forced to take care of it for a long time. Birds begin to fly at 8–10 months of life, but they still need nutrition from their parents. From this moment on, adults visit their chicks less and less, bringing food with them. Chicks can remain without food for up to 2 weeks. Sexual maturity of harpies occurs at 4 years, at which time the plumage acquires a brighter and more saturated hue. The maximum lifespan of a bird is 30 years.

There is controversy over whether harpy the largest bird of prey on earth. Scientists claim that there are birds of larger sizes, however, what harpy bird one of the largest, this fact remains indisputable.

Translated from Greek, “harpy” means “abductor.” The size of such a kidnapper is impressive, because the body length ranges from 86 to 107 cm, and the wingspan reaches 224 cm. At the same time, the bird has claws that any fashionista will envy; these claws grow up to 13 cm.

I wonder what male harpy They weigh almost half as much as females, males weigh 4.8 kg, and females weigh up to 9 kg. There is evidence that in captivity, where there is no need to waste energy searching for food, harpies reached a weight of more than 12 kg. If we consider harpy in the photo, then it can be noted that on the back of the bird the plumage is dark, and the head is light gray in color.

But the neck is covered with almost black feathers. The bird does not acquire such plumage immediately, but only with age. Young birds have a lighter and less expressive color. On the head there is a row of especially long and wide feathers, which forms a kind of crest, or rather, a crest.

When the bird is calm, this crest does not stand out too much, but when the bird is excited, the crest rises either in the form of a crown or in the form of a hood. Some scientists believe that when raised harpy's hood hearing improves.

Harpies have hearing excellent, and excellent vision. It has long been known that the distinctive feature of all hawks is their vision. The harpy prefers to settle in the wild thickets of tropical forests adjacent to rivers. The forests of Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and southern Mexico are especially suitable for this.

Character and lifestyle of the harpy

Hunt the harpy prefers during the day. Its victims sit on tree branches, hoping for safety, but this huge predator, despite its large size, easily maneuvers between the branches and snatches monkeys and other mammals.

The paws of this bird are so strong that it not only easily holds such prey, but also breaks the bones of its victim. You should not think that in open areas something is preventing the bird from hunting. She can easily drag away a medium-sized deer. The harpy is considered one of the insidious predators. It does not kill its prey immediately; the bird rips out the trachea of ​​the prey, which is why the unfortunate animal dies a long and painful death.

But such cruelty was not invented by nature by chance - in this way the harpy manages to convey the victim to her chicks while still warm, with the pungent smell of blood, and the chicks learn to cope with the still living animal. Harpies do not strive to fly from place to place; they prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle. At the right time, a suitable tree is selected (it should rise above all other trees to provide maximum visibility), and a nest is built at a height of 40-60 meters from the ground.

The constructed nest reaches 1.7 m or more in diameter. The nest is lined with twigs and moss. This “house” has been used by birds for many years. The harpy is considered not only the most cruel and terrible predator, but also the most amazing. Her bright appearance cannot but attract attention. The most beautiful bird in the world - South American harpy. Many people want to buy such a bird, regardless of the price. However, the difficulties with these birds are not so much about money as about maintenance.

They try to provide similar conditions for birds kept in captivity. Of course, only zoos can provide even remotely resembling conditions of life in freedom, and even then, not everyone. Therefore, before getting this amazing bird, you should think seriously. Otherwise, the bird may simply die. A number of harpies already decreasing every year.

Pictured is a South American harpy

Harpy bird feeding

The diet of harpies consists of monkeys and sloths, but they also eat dogs, snakes, lizards, and other animals, which very often weigh more than the bird itself. Harpy- the only one predator which hunts arboreal animals. Moral principles are unknown to birds, so even their fellow birds are eaten. If a harpy starts hunting, no one can hide from it. She does not miss her victim. But there are no such people who would threaten the harpy herself. Therefore, these birds occupy the top link in the food ecochain.

This bird has another name - monkey-eater. Because of their gastronomic addiction, harpies risk their own lives, because many local residents revere monkeys and consider them sacred animals, therefore, they easily put to death the hunter of a sacred animal.

Reproduction and lifespan of the harpy

When the rainy season begins, which is in April-May, harpies prepare to breed. By the way, birds reproduce not annually, but every other year. These birds choose a companion once and for life. During the breeding season, the bird does not have to fuss too much - it already has both a home and a “family”.

The female only has to lay her eggs. There are few eggs in a clutch - from 1 to 2. 2 eggs for a pair is already a lot, because only one chick gets all the care and food from both parents. Typically, this is the chick that hatched first. And the other chick, being right there in the nest, is forced to simply die of hunger. Only one of the chicks survives. Defending yours nest, harpies become especially cruel and ferocious. They can easily attack even a person during such periods.

The chick is under the care of its parents for a very long time. He begins to fly only at the age of 8-10 months, but even after his confident flights, he still cannot feed himself, this is understandable - harpy food too difficult.

Therefore, the chick does not fly far from the parents’ nest. It happens that you have to go hungry for up to two weeks, but the bird endures this without any particular damage to its health; the parents are successful in their hunt to make up for what they have lost.

Only by the age of 4 does the chick reach puberty, which is immediately reflected in its plumage - the plumage becomes brighter and more saturated. It is believed that harpies live up to 30 years, although exact data is not available.

The monkey-eating harpy, one of the most beautiful and largest birds on the planet, unfortunately found itself on the verge of extinction. Another name for this bird - Philippine eagle - was given to the bird at the insistence of the inhabitants of the Philippines. The fact is that the local population considers this bird a state symbol, and they wanted the harpy to have a more euphonious name, especially since they also love monkeys there. Despite its name - monkey-eater - it hunts monkeys very rarely; its main diet is tree caguans and snakes. He can also hunt large birds, and sometimes he manages to catch a baby deer. He watches for his prey, sitting in a shelter, or while flying.

Harpy monkey-eater, an endangered bird

Description of the bird

The Philippine eagle nests high in the treetops. The female eagle incubates only one egg, from which a chick hatches after two months. It develops very quickly, and at the age of three months it can fly. However, he will spend a very long time with his parents in the nest, and will leave it only after a year.

This bird was once very widespread, inhabiting 1,700 islands in the Philippine archipelago. Now their number is only 200 individuals. The Philippine eagle is listed as one of the highest endangered bird species.

Habitat halo

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Philippine Islands were completely covered with tropical forests. This was the kingdom of animals and birds, and the Philippine eagle felt very at ease here. There was enough prey in the jungle for everyone.

However, nowadays everything has changed. Almost 80% of the tropical forest in the Philippines has been destroyed. Forests are cut down for the production of building materials, and cleared areas are used for the construction of new settlements, or are plowed up for agricultural land. All this contributes to the catastrophic reduction in the habitat of these birds. Indeed, in order for the Philippine eagle to be able to freely obtain food for itself, it needs a territory of at least 50 km.

The fate of the monkey-eating harpy

Since 1960, the Philippine eagle has been under state protection, at which time the first programs for the conservation of this rare bird appeared. On some islands, eagles still continue to live in the wild, but their numbers have not yet increased.

On the island of Mindanao, which was once the main refuge of the Philippine eagle, a reserve has been created where the existing population is not only preserved, but also found wounded birds that have fallen from the nest are nursed. Educational work is being carried out among the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands about the need to preserve eagles. Cash rewards are received by local residents who, having found an eagle's nest, take it under their care.

They protect it from farmers and poachers. The problem is that Philippine eagles do not breed in captivity, so all conservation efforts are aimed primarily at protecting its habitat. But, nevertheless, bird mortality so far exceeds all pessimistic forecasts.

Since we are talking about the death of animals, and this, unfortunately, awaits every pet owner, we want to talk about a website dedicated to the burial of animals in Kyiv. On it you will be able, if you are a resident of the capital, to bury your pet at the level of a human funeral. The site will help you with all the preparations, decide on a place in the pet cemetery, or, if the owners wish, help with the cremation of the body.

And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!