What the sources say
Harpy EagleHarpia harpyja
Every figure, record and mechanism on the Harpy Eagle profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 45 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.
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Source
01
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan
Harpia harpyja (harpy eagle). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.
- The page saysApex canopy raptor
- The source says
Harpy eagles are apex predators of their rainforest ecosystems.
- The page saysMostly the mid to upper canopy of tropical lowland rainforests, preferring undisturbed forest, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
- The source says
found from southern Mexico to the eastern part of Bolivia, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina ... Harpy eagles live in the canopies of tropical lowland rainforests. They prefer undisturbed forests ... They generally are found in mid to upper levels of rain forest canopies
- The page saysis the largest species of eagle, according to Animal Diversity Web
- The source says
Harpy eagles are the largest species of eagle
- The page saysa body up to 102 centimeters long
- The source says
a body length that can range from 89 to 102 cm
- The page saysAnimal Diversity Web estimates that a healthy wild harpy eagle lives 25 to 35 years
- The source says
Harpy eagles are estimated to live 25 to 35 years if they remain healthy.
Note: ADW's own estimate, attributed and hedged; never stated as fact. - The page saysSloths and monkeys, including howler monkeys, are its main food sources
- The source says
Harpy eagles' main food sources are sloths and primates
- The page saysLong black crown feathers rise into a crest when the harpy eagle feels threatened, and some have suggested it also raises them to direct sound to its ears
- The source says
The crown of harpy eagles consists of long black feathers which raise when threatened, though some theorize they also raise them to direct sound to their ears.
- The page saysHarpy eagles range from southern Mexico to the eastern part of Bolivia, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina
- The source says
found from southern Mexico to the eastern part of Bolivia, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina
- The page saysdangerLevel: Low
- The source says
the eagles overall have no adverse effects on humans
Note: task #799; no cached source describes a harpy eagle injuring a person. The talon force (SDZ) is described on prey only.
Source
02
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Harpy Eagle. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
- The page saysApex canopy raptor armed with rear talons larger than a grizzly bear's claws
- The source says
curved, back talons are larger than grizzly bear claws at 5 inches (13 centimeters) long!
- The page saysSloths and monkeys, including howler monkeys, snatched from the canopy, plus opossums, porcupines, and iguanas
- The source says
uses its great talons to snatch up monkeys and sloths ... A harpy also feeds on opossums, porcupines, young deer, snakes, and iguanas.
- The page saysRear talons about five inches long, larger than a grizzly bear's claws, that the San Diego Zoo says can exert several hundred pounds of pressure, crushing bones and killing prey instantly
- The source says
curved, back talons are larger than grizzly bear claws at 5 inches (13 centimeters) long! ... The deadly talons of a harpy eagle can exert several hundred pounds of pressure (over 50 kilograms), crushing the bones of its prey and instantly killing its victim.
Note: SDZ's own claim, no study cited on the page; attributed to SDZ rather than stated as a measurement. - The page saysThe San Diego Zoo puts females at 6.3 to 9 kilograms and the smaller males at 3.8 to 5.4 kilograms
- The source says
female is larger than male Weight: Female, 14 to 20 pounds (6.3 to 9 kilograms); male, 8.5 to 12 pounds (3.8 to 5.4 kilograms)
Note: Final pass: replaced ADW's older averages (males 5 to 8 kg) with the current SDZ ranges, which disagree on males. - The page saysa wingspan reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 feet)
- The source says
wingspan, which can reach up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) across
- The page saysIts curved rear talons are about 13 centimeters (5 inches) long, which the San Diego Zoo says makes them larger than a grizzly bear's claws
- The source says
curved, back talons are larger than grizzly bear claws at 5 inches (13 centimeters) long!
- The page saysthey sit on legs as thick as a small child's wrist
- The source says
The harpy eagle's legs can be as thick as a small child's wrist.
- The page saysThe San Diego Zoo describes talons that can exert several hundred pounds of pressure, enough to crush the bones of their prey and kill it instantly
- The source says
The deadly talons of a harpy eagle can exert several hundred pounds of pressure (over 50 kilograms), crushing the bones of its prey and instantly killing its victim.
Note: SDZ's own claim, no study cited on the page; attributed to SDZ rather than stated as a measurement. - The page saysA harpy eagle never soars over the top of the rainforest. It flies below the canopy instead
- The source says
You will never see a harpy eagle soaring over the top of a rainforest. Instead, the powerful harpy flies below the forest canopy
- The page saysin a serious chase it is capable of reaching 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph)
- The source says
capable, in a serious chase, of reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour)
- The page saysIts eyesight can pick out something under 2 centimeters across from almost 200 meters away
- The source says
can see something less than 1 inch (2 centimeters) in size from almost 220 yards (200 meters) away
- The page saysa harpy eagle will perch silently for up to 23 hours, waiting to catch unsuspecting prey
- The source says
perches silently for hours—up to 23!—in a tree, patiently waiting to catch unsuspecting prey
- The page saysthe San Diego Zoo says the monkeys and sloths it snatches from the branches can weigh up to 7.7 kilograms (17 pounds)
- The source says
uses its great talons to snatch up monkeys and sloths that can weigh up to 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms)!
- The page saysA separate set of smaller face feathers forms a disc that the San Diego Zoo says may focus sound to improve hearing, similar to owls
- The source says
Some smaller gray feathers create a facial disk that may focus sound waves to improve the bird's hearing, similar to owls.
- The page saysharpies usually build 27 to 43 meters (90 to 140 feet) above the ground, favoring silk-cotton (kapok) trees with widely spaced branches for a clear flight path
- The source says
For nesting, harpies favor silk-cotton trees (kapok trees) and usually build nests 90 to 140 feet (27 to 43 meters) above the ground. They like to use trees with widely spaced branches for a clear flight path to and from the nest.
- The page saysMost of its food comes from the canopy and understory rather than the forest floor
- The source says
Most of the harpy’s food is found in the rainforest canopy and understory instead of on the forest floor.
- The page saysThe San Diego Zoo says the larger females tend to take sloths and monkeys, which can weigh up to 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms), while the smaller males take more small prey
- The source says
monkeys and sloths that can weigh up to 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms)! ... The larger females tend to take sloths and monkeys; the smaller, more agile and faster males tend to take more quantities of smaller food items.
- The page saysIt also lists opossums, porcupines, young deer, snakes, and iguanas as prey
- The source says
A harpy also feeds on opossums, porcupines, young deer, snakes, and iguanas.
- The page saysPrey too heavy to carry whole to the nest is taken to a stump or low branch and partly eaten there
- The source says
Heavier prey is taken to a stump or low branch and partially eaten, since it is too heavy to be carried whole to the nest.
- The page saysThe San Diego Zoo says that despite a wingspan of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet), harpy eagles move through their forest home with great agility
- The source says
Despite their wingspan, which can reach up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) across, harpies fly through their forest home with great agility.
- The page saysThe wings are short and broad, which helps the eagle climb almost vertically and attack from below as well as from above
- The source says
Its short, broad wings help the harpy fly almost straight up, too, so it can attack prey from below as well as above.
- The page saysThe nest is a frame of large sticks lined with softer greens, seedpods, and animal fur, and it can measure about 1.5 meters (5 feet) across
- The source says
Harpies use large sticks to create the nest's huge frame and line it with softer greens, seedpods, and animal fur to make it warm and comfortable. A harpy nest measures about 4 feet (1.2 meters) thick and 5 feet (1.5 meters) across
- The page saysa harpy eagle perches silently for up to 23 hours before snatching monkeys and sloths from the branches
- The source says
The bird perches silently for hours—up to 23!—in a tree, patiently waiting to catch unsuspecting prey
Note: task #799, vibe.reason
Source
03
AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources
Harpia harpyja. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.
- The page saysthe maximum AnAge lists is 16.8 years, for a captive bird recorded in a 1938 study of bird longevity
- The source says
Maximum longevity 16.8 years (captivity) Source ref. 575 ... [ 0575 ] Flower (1938), Furter notes on the duration of life in animals. IV. Birds
Source
04
Miranda et al. 2019
Miranda et al. (2019). Species distribution modeling reveals strongholds and potential reintroduction areas for the world's largest eagle. PLOS ONE.
- The page saysA 2019 study on the species put the average at 6.6 kilograms and called it "the largest extant raptor on Earth"
- The source says
Averaging 6.6 kg, the Harpy Eagle is the largest extant raptor on Earth
- The page saysbeaten in size only by the extinct Haast eagle of New Zealand
- The source says
surpassed in size by only the extinct, island-living Haast Eagle (Harpagornis moorei ...), which humans wiped out from New Zealand's South Island
- The page saysa 2019 study found that Amazonian forests held 93% of the species' current distribution
- The source says
Amazonian forests currently represent 93% of the current distribution of the species
Source
05
Miranda et al. 2021
Miranda et al. (2021). Tropical deforestation induces thresholds of reproductive viability and habitat suitability in Earth's largest eagles. Scientific Reports.
- The page saysA 2021 study of 16 active nests in Amazonian landscapes that had lost 0 to 85% of their forest
- The source says
We monitored 16 active harpy eagle nests embedded within landscapes that had experienced 0 to 85% of forest loss
- The page saysharpy eagles could not switch to open-habitat prey in deforested areas, that feeding rates fell with forest loss, and that landscapes deforested by more than 70% supported no nests
- The source says
Harpy eagles could not switch to open-habitat prey in deforested habitats ... Feeding rates decreased with forest loss ... Because landscapes deforested by > 70% supported no nests
- The page saysThree fledged eaglets in that study died of starvation in landscapes that had lost 50 to 70% of their forest
- The source says
three fledged individuals dying of starvation in landscapes that succumbed to 50–70% deforestation
Source
06
Gil-da-Costa et al. 2003
Gil-da-Costa et al. (2003). Rapid acquisition of an alarm response by a neotropical primate to a newly introduced avian predator. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.
- The page saysincluding howler monkeys
- The source says
mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), one of their primary prey
- The page saysMantled howler monkeys are "one of their primary prey"
- The source says
mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), one of their primary prey
- The page saysafter harpy eagles were reintroduced to Barro Colorado Island in Panama, where they had been extinct for 50 to 100 years, researchers played eagle calls to the island's howlers
- The source says
we took advantage of the recent reintroduction of radio-tagged harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) to Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama ... we broadcast harpy eagle calls to howlers on BCI ... Although harpies have been extinct from this area for 50-100 years
Note: Design: the researchers used an existing reintroduction and broadcast recorded calls; they did not reintroduce the eagles themselves. - The page saysThe monkeys quickly picked up an anti-predator response to those calls, ignored other birds' calls
- The source says
BCI howlers rapidly acquired an adaptive anti-predator response to harpy calls, while showing no response to other avian vocalizations
- The page sayskept it up several months after the eagles were removed
- The source says
howlers maintained this response several months after the removal of the eagles
Source
07
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021
Harpia harpyja. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22695998A197957213.
- The page saysThe IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU).
How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.