The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is one of the most impressive and powerful birds of prey in the world, known for its large size and hunting ability. Recently, in our ProAves El Jaguar Reserve, located in Mapiripán, Meta, one of these important individuals for our country was recorded for the second time in less than a year.
Jefferson Rodríguez, ProAves Ranger, had the privilege of sighting this majestic species: “We saw it because we were at home and suddenly we heard the screeches and cries of the monkeys, when I went out to see there was the harpy eagle perched on a guarumo tree.”
This imposing bird can weigh up to 6.5 kilos and measure between 86 and 107 centimeters in height, being one of the most majestic and imposing birds that flies over the skies.
The harpy eagle stands out as an important hunter with its gigantic claws of up to 10 centimeters, it can catch and hold prey with extraordinary strength, and its vision is eight times more developed than that of humans, which allows it to detect subtle movements among the dense vegetation.
According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this species is considered to be in the Vulnerable (VU) category, where its main threats have been due to the loss and degradation of forests, poaching and collision with power lines.
The sighting of this emblematic species in our ProAves El Jaguar Reserve underlines the importance of conserving these ecosystems that allow us to protect, in addition to the aforementioned species, the palm anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the tapir (Tapirus terrestres), the jaguar (Panthera onca), among others.
This important sighting adds to the one carried out a year ago in this same Reserve and which represents this conservation area as a safe space for the survival of this species.
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