Today we meet a bird which is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying: the Harpy Eagle. In recent years, these birds gained traction on the internet because they kinda look like a person cosplaying as a bird. It makes for a creepy effect, what with their human proportions, round head and odd crest feathers.
The reason they kinda look like a person disguised as a bird is because they are one of the biggest eagles in the world. They can stand over a metre tall, with a wingspan of up to two metres. They also have the largest talons of any eagle, so yeah, these guys don’t mess around.
They’re natives of the South American rainforests. They spend their time cruising the jungle canopy, looking for sloths and monkeys to impale from above. Harpy Eagles love to dine out on any primates they can find. They’re strong enough to lift and fly away with prey equal to their own body weight. But don’t worry, the biggest eagles only get up to about 10Kg, so you’re probably safe… probably.
These Eagles are named for the harpy of Greek mythology. No doubt, the people who first named them also thought they looked like a person dressed in a bird costume, because traditionally the harpy was always depicted as an eagle with a human face. They were wind spirits and would carry souls to Hades. Given the extreme lethality of the Harpy Eagle, this seems like apt naming to me.
Oh, and I should also point out their chicks look like utter bad asses as well.
07/08/2022
Bird of the Week 