Harpy eagle

Harpia harpyja

A living legend

In Greek mythology, the harpy was a winged creature with the body of a bird and the head of a woman. Real harpies may not be quite as sinister, but they are still rather impressive, and are considered the strongest birds of prey in the world.

Charakteristics

  • Origin

    southern Mexico to northeastern Argentina

  • Habitat

    lowland rainforests

  • Diet

    howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, capuchins, sloths, coatis, kinkajous, agoutis, macaws, curassows, iguanas

  • Status

    near threatened

  • Size

    99 cm

  • Weight

    5 kg to 9 kg

  • Breeding period

    55 days

  • Achievable age

    over 30 years

Threat Categories of IUCN

Females rule

The female harpy is significantly larger than her male counterpart and her wingspan can be as wide as two metres. While the female incubates the eggs and raises the young, the male provides them with food, which he grabs and kills with his extremely powerful talons that can reach 7 cm in length.

Did you know?

Harpies build nests around 1.5 m in diameter in trees up to 55 m high.
They usually incubate two to three eggs, but stop incubating
once the first egg hatches.

Adopt an animal

Lend your support to the Tierpark’s modern, high-quality animal keeping and care by becoming an animal sponsor.

DONATE NOW

Opening hours

Today, 27. April
9:00 - 18:30
Last admission: 17:00
All opening hours

Feedings & Trainings

  • Polar bear talk 11:00
  • Giraffe-Talk 12:30
All feedings