The elusive quarter-century eagle
![[Alberto Palleroni, The Peregrine Fund] A harpy eagle and his recent kill: a three-toed sloth](2002-06-14-harpy-eagle.jpg) Q: What is the life span of the harpy eagle? -"Harpy Eagle", Gilbert, Arizona
A: In the wild, we estimate the life span of this bird-one of the largest of eagles--to be at least 25 to 35 years,
says Rick Watson, International Director of The Peregrine Fund.
[Alberto Palleroni, The Peregrine Fund] A harpy eagle and his recent kill: a three-toed sloth
The huge harpy eagle (with hind talons as large as grizzly bear claws) hangs out in deep remote jungles of
Mexico and Central and South America where few explorers penetrate. Those few who enter the bird's habitat
rarely see harpies. The bird weaves in and out of dense foliage as it hunts sloths, monkeys and such. You
might catch a glimpse but can rarely get a good sighting.
Moreover, they almost never leave the leaf cover except to fly to a nest at the top of the highest tree around,
maybe 165 feet up. Such a roost doesn't lend itself to birdwatching. It's too high. The dogged birdwatcher
must find a nearby 16-story tree blind.
It wasn't until 1959 that we observed harpies to any extent in the wild, although we had captured a few earlier and put them in zoos. In
1959, James M. Fowler and James B. Cope studied two nests in Guyana for six months to learn harpy nesting and breeding habits.
Since 1992, we have found only nine nests in Guyana, ten in Venezuela, and eight in Panama.
Consequently, we have little data on the wild harpy's life span. We know more about eagles in captivity. The maximum recorded life
span for a bateleur eagle is 55 years, bald eagle is 36 years, and golden eagle is 48 years-all captive birds. The larger the species of bird,
the longer they are likely to survive.
There are several captive harpies living in Europe and the USA that are 40 plus, says Keith Channing of The Hawk Conservancy.
"Estimating the life span in the wild is much more difficult but is probably between 25 and 35 years for a harpy eagle," says Watson.
(Answered Jun. 14, 2002)
Further Surfing:
The Pregrine Fund: field notes of the harpy eagle
The birder's handbook by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye
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