Inspiring Animals : The Harpy Eagle

Just in time for Halloween, we bring you the second episode of our Inspiring Animals series. And this time our host Kayla will be focusing on the Harpy Eagle. The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyjia) is one of the largest and most powerful raptors in the world. Named for the fearsome harpies of Greek mythology, harpy eagles are top predators of the rainforests they call home. Today we introduce you to Da Queen and Panama, two harpy eagle ambassadors at the Belize Zoo with interesting stories to tell you!


Narrated by: Kayla Windelspecht

For more information on our Inspiring Animals content: www.inspire-edventures.com/inspiring-animals

For more information on Harpy Eagles: www.inspire-edventures.com/blog/the-science-of-harpy-eagles

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Transcript

…Hi everyone. I hope that everyone is having a great fall so far And today, we're going to have another edition of our inspiring animals and we are going to be talking about a very special animal today called the Harpy Eagle. So Harpy Eagles are these very big…birds of prey that are found in the rainforest in Central America and in South America. And harpy Eagles are actually named after…these…creatures from actually Greek mythology called Harpies that are these these kind of fearsome half bird half women creatures. And so you can tell that when these birds were named, they were they made a big impression. They're they look very very fearsome and very ferocious and that's how they got these names. And Harvey Eagles our animals that we at inspired ventures have worked with a few times through our partners at the Belize Zoo And we will talk a little bit later on about how the Belize Zoo and the Peregrine Fund and these other organizations…have really put a lot of time and effort into…helping Harvey Eagles in Central America and helping Harvey Eagle restoration and conservation. But for right now we're going to just talk a little bit about Harvey Eagle Biology what these birds are Uh, and I am here today with, uh my dad. And dad do you want to talk a little bit about first time you ever met a Harvey Eagle? I'd love to Kayla I think it's one of my my favorite stories because, you know I've I've talked a lot about my visits to bully Zoo and you know how every time you turn a corner there is something surprising there And uh you know I've been the blue zoo many many times and met the conservation people there and their love of their animals and, you know every one of the animals in the zoo…because of their relationship with these keepers has its own little personality and the two harpy eagles at the at the Belize Zoo de Queen which I'm sure we'll talk about And Panama, which is his own little special type of harpy eagle, are are really amazing And when you turn the corner, you know you're walking over towards where the Jagarindez are and a couple other of the animals And you turn the corner and you see…these, these birds of prey and they're they're massive. They're huge. The females are always bigger than the males It's just at his typical Panama's a lot smaller than the queen but these are really impressive and…I can see a little scary Okay They you know they have this crazy crown as well as we'll try to talk about ends, my experience with them was really one of awe when I first saw them And over time which I'm I'm we'll show you what it'll be I've kind of become a little bit more familiar with them and a little bit more than more familiar with me but they are really massive impressive animals…bigger than…I believe they're bigger than bald eagles their you know and their size And, uh, they play such an important part in their in their rainforest ecology And so they're impressive animals to learn about And Especially it's coming to Halloween. They kinda have this spooky appearance to them Right You really do But when the zoo is coming up you know this next week and you know I'm sure the harpies will be there as they usually are. Yeah. They're they're very impressive animals and…I'm sure we'll have we'll have some links to our website where you guys can go and see pictures of these animals and even videos of these animals we have a few of. And like you mentioned, It is pretty common in birds of prey for the female to be larger and heavier than the male And you do see this with the harpies at the Belize zoo where the queen the female harpy eagle that's currently the ambassador at the Belize zoo. Is is visibly larger than than Panama who is the male Harvey eagle. And Harvey Eagles like what we've mentioned they are birds of prey They are they are predators and they uh are carnivores. And they live most of the time up in the rainforest canopy is where you can mostly find them and they catch a really wide variety of prey. They catch pretty much anything they can get their their talons on They've got these very aggressive…strong talons. And this includes anything from a small mammals including monkeys. In South America, they actually eat a lot of us sloths make up a lot of their diet. But we don't we don't really have, uh sloths in Belize So they really have to switch their prey depending on which part of their range that they're in. And Harvey Eagles have actually even been known to to prey on small deer. So if you imagine a a bird attacking a even a baby deer that does kind of give you a sense of just how strong and fierce these these animals are, And Harvey Eagles, like a lot of other predators, like Jaguars which were the animals that we talked about last time, Harvey Eagles really need a lot of territory to support them Not only Harby Eagles are they are actually territorial creatures. They don't live in flocks They live pretty solitary…but also because they need a lot of room for the various prey species that support them This leads into really the importance of Harvey Eagle Conservation. And so in Belize a few years ago, there was a program called the Belize Harper Eagle restoration Program. And this was a program that was in conjunction with a few different organizations including the Belizeau and tropical Education Center and also the Paragrance Fund. So what had happened was that the…the Harvey population…in Belize and in Central America in general is not really as strong as the Harpy Eagle population in other areas such as in South America There's a pretty strong population in the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately, overall the Harvey Eagle populations are in decline, but they are more vulnerable in certain parts of their ranges than others So these organizations came together to try…to restore…Uh the Harvey Eagle population in Central America and specifically in Belize so there was some captive breeding programs…and, partially taking place…in Panama City Panama. Which is where the name for one of the current harpy eagles at the Beliti Zoo Panama comes from. And what they did was that they were able to release…these harpy eagles back into the rainforest and they were able to monitor them. For a period of time to kind of see what happened to be able to make sure that these animals were doing alright. They found that unfortunately a lot of the eagles that they released it was something like, I believe…eighteen Eagles in the just the first couple years of this program ended up actually being killed by humans. And they they had found them that they had died of gunshot wounds And this, was I mean obviously a big problem but also kind of…ties into some underlying issues in the area which is that…people were essentially afraid of harpy Eagles, not only attacking them which doesn't really it doesn't really happen But you can see if you see these birds you can see someone might be a little a little afraid of them but also that Harvey Eagles were going after livestock. Specifically, like smaller livestock like chickens that people were kind of depending on for their livelihoods and so people would see these eagles and think that they were were a threat either to them or to their livestock and would kill them. So this kind of highlights some really important work that had to be done in conjunction with releasing these animals where it wasn't enough just to, you know, raise these these new eagles and release this population out out into the rainforest you also had to make sure that the people in the area where these these animals are being released to the communities in these areas, uh you really wanted to make sure that they understood how important…Harvey Eagles are…to the ecology of the rainforest and how important Harvey Eagle conservation is And one of the reasons why this is so important is that Harvey Eagles are what is called an umbrella species. And an umbrella species in conservation is a species where if you…focus attention on conserving these animals, there's a lot of benefits that come from this to other species in the rain forest including…though it might seem a little counterintuitive including a lot of the price species that harpy Eagles target And you might think how would releasing these predators back into this ecosystem help the price species And the reason is that because…Harpe eagles like many many large predators because harpe eagles do require…so much untouched rainforests they require…their habitat to be protected and they require these really healthy populations of their prey species You know it's not going to help the harpy eagle if there's only you know two sloths in the rain forest and the harpy eagle eats both of them and then there's no more slots left You need to have these very healthy, sustainable populations of their prey species. So by working…to have a healthy environment for predators like Harvey Eagles, you're also working to have healthy environments for the sloths and the monkeys and the armadillos and you know all of these other animals that are kind of seen as being maybe a little bit lower in the trophic clothes than than the harpy eagle itself It's a little lower on the food web…And…But there's also been some challenges reintroducing it from the harpies themselves right Yes…This…is where the uh the two current ambassadors for the two current Harvey Eagle Ambassador ambassadors at the Belize Zoo…is and there's a very funny picture…of Duqueen, who is the the big female Harvey Eagle, and she was part of this reintroduction program. And…what…Duqueen…What the queen did was that at some point she realized that when she was being raised by these humans, that humans were a source of food. And so when she was released, she kept coming back to the station and there's a very funny picture of at the staff at the station you have this this very very large eagle and they're kind of trying to fend her off with a chair to make to make her go away and make her leave the station…And, uh you have this because she had realized that if I come here they give me food and I don't have to I don't have to hunt for it anymore. And eventually, uh you know it it is always a worry when animals are very habituated to humans and when they don't fear humans, you do want especially in cases with Harvey Eagles where there were all of these unfortunate cases of the Eagles being, uh shot by humans You you don't want an eagle to look at a human and think this means easy food you know, Exactly You don't you don't want an ego to be friends with humans So it was it was decided, and you can definitely learn more about the Queen's story through the Believe Zoo and through their website. But ultimately it was decided that it probably for the best if the queen became an ambassador instead of being a uh, a wild eagle. So she ended up at the Belize Zoo and she lives a pretty charmed life there Uh She is the queen. Trucks i think I think that most other animals in that area know that she's there And, uh she has she is completely…aloof to to to people She she's not at all She's not but she's not a friendly eagle She just sits back and declares at you and you in something that size I gotta tell you it's impressive. You know every once in a while I've been there she has actually flown down to be closer to the edge of the…of the of the of the enclosure. It is…impressive her wingspan is what Seven feet. Right Yeah They can it can uh I think Harvey Eagles their wingspan can get up to above two meters actually Yeah Yeah So I mean she's a big she's She's a big she's a big one…compared to you know Panama which I'm sure we'll talk about in the moment It was a very very different harpy eagle in in the big scheme of things But But also this does tie into what we were talking about earlier about the importance of education and about the importance of these animal ambassadors because this is what the Queen and Panama of the male Harvey Eagle this is what they both do at the zoo now So they're not just you…know hanging out at the zoo they have jobs basically They and their job is to teach visitors at the zoo about Harpy Eagles. So when visitors come to the zoo they learn about the The reintroduction program They would get to learn about Harvey Eagle Biology and ecology from the the staff of this dude who have worked so much with these eagles and really know everything…about them. And I've worked with them for for years at this point and then…it teaches the visitors at the zoo why these animals are so important and also just how cool these animals are I mean it's It's very kind of awe inspiring to be able to see an animal like this close-up because most of the time you're never really going to see a harpy eagle or at least never really going to see one that close You might see one flying around in the distance, but As we've talked about earlier they are pretty solitary birds and they do really live pretty deep in the rainforest Usually they're usually not coming around humans unless they don't really have a choice unless they're losing their habitat and that kind of forces them into more contact on unfortunately more conflict with humans This is where a lot of the conflict arises is when the harpy eagles start to lose their habitat and they start to lose their…their natural prey species…And so the…animal ambassadors really help people to see these animals up close and to see how really amazing and beautiful that these animals really are and…understand…why it's so important that these animals are protected and why it's so important that we we have these programs that protect these animals and reintroduce these animals and strengthen their populations in the wilds that hopefully we're going to have these animals in these regions for a long time to come. And when it comes down to the harpies I mean one of the things is as we you know go into the Halloween season and obviously we were featuring harp vehicles there's a lot of myths about you know harpies with humans. You know they have kind of this…interesting you know physiology the way they have these crowns on their heads, you know and it makes them look…for a better word evil I think they're beautiful animals but I can understand where people are at that But but these Kayla these, you know these myths are really not true Right I mean Harpies really don't…pray or interact with humans Right? Right Harpies are not Harpies are not going to go after humans first of all humans are much too big for even a heartbeat eagle to go after They're not really going to be you know aggressive to humans. Um, a lot of the conflict does come that that again Harvey Eagles will sometimes go after smaller livestock They will unfortunately sometimes go after people's pets like their dogs. But again this is this is not…this is not because the birds are are you know evil and out to get people This is because they're they are losing their habitat and they are losing a lot of their the prey that they depend on And when very much like how talked about with with jaguars with the problem jaguars where if a jaguar is coming around people and a jaguar is preying on livestock that's a sign that something's wrong in the rainforest because just like Jag wires Jag wires and Herbie Eagles both they don't really want to be around people. They like to be very deep in the rain forest They like to be just off doing their own thing They're they are not…very social with with people naturally. So if you do see these, um you do see the situations where these top predators in the rainforest are starting to be seen by people more and are starting to have these conflicts with people that's usually a result of the fact that the rainforest…habitat is being degraded It's being fragmented there's not really enough…undisturbed area to support these healthy populations anymore. And this is why again it's so important to have these conservation spaces and to have these conversations highlighting the the need for this to happen and to highlight you know if if you have a…a a harpy eagle who's coming and stealing your chickens you know, it's it's emblematic of a a…much bigger problem…than just that one eagle. And this is a lot of good work that…the Belize Zu does that the Peregrin Fund has done and that all of these organizations that are really dedicated…to uh the conservation support of not just the big predators but the entire rainforest because you can't have a healthy heart vehicle population if you don't have that basis in the healthy rainforest and the healthy prey populations to support them as well. I think that Panama also shows another challenge to…Harvey, uh you know conservation. And…you know my interactions with Panama have been interesting. Because I spent a long time I've spent some time several weeks working at the Blue ZooOne projects. And you know one of my favorite things is to go by and and see Panama The the Queen will never acknowledge me She's you know, She just you know I don't even think she even looks but Panama has definitely imprinted on people And that's the reason why he's there right which presents another problem with these with these birds. And it's kind of funny because he always told me that that Panama didn't like men but he didn't they didn't like he didn't like men that were gonna capture him and have him like go kill blood and stuff But Panama at some point or associated me with food So I could actually be walking down and say Panama he would come He does in Panama doesn't know he's a harpy. Right It creates all sorts of new problems right about how do you you know can you rear…new, you know new harpies and release them I mean the queen shows you that sometimes they're like no I might keep coming back and you can take your chair out but eventually you know you're gonna build me a habitat. But Panama is a different a very different thing So this imprinting with birds is pretty interesting though isn't it I mean it presents a real challenge for conservationists right? Yeah Yeah For sure. And uh I I will kind of have the caveat that I am not a bird biologist. So I don't really know the the ins and outs of this specifically but this is a problem that does come up a lot I know in…Uh especially a raptor conservation or really any kind of bird conservation…is that…uh birds like Panama if they are around…humans too much…especially when they're when they first hatch when they're very very young, they will…see instead of seeing you know their harpy eagle parents if they see the humans instead they will actually start to think essentially that they are humans They will recognize humans as members of their own species instead of seeing harpy eagles as members of their own species And so Panama…uh is in birds like Panama who who the term is kind of imprinting on humans…They are very friendly to humans and they are very habituated to humans and will…will try to socialize with humans and this is very bad for these birds because again we want them when they're released into the wild We want them to stay as far away from humans as possible We want them to go live their harpy eagle lives and not try to hang around humans and get food from humans. So Panama is um, a a And you've met Panama? Yes I have met Panama. Panama is a strangely friendly harpy eagle I will say. There Uh And and and the queen looks at him in complete disgust. Yes They did not share a habitat the queen and and Panama um…but yes Panama is he's he's he's an odd bird I will say. He's he's a very beautiful bird but he is…very strangely friend. Uh I I will say that he has really no fear of humans And again that might kind of seem like a good thing but it's it's not for these these birds…are really for any you know wild predators. Uh we do want them to…want to stay away from humans, but Panama doesn't And so Panama is an ambassador instead So he gets to again have this very…very charmed eagle life at the belize zoo be be taken care of by uh, the very dedicated staff And in return he I guess to teach people all about Harty Eagles. And…He's very different. They're very different. Yep I think we have some videos somewhere of him We have videos we'll place up there in a couple articles I will tell you that that these are also highly intelligent birds I mean I'm not I'm not saying that he did you know I know that if I walk by and I see him for a couple of days he does recognize my voice that I'm coming by the seam especially of course if I brought food for him Oh yes If you bring foods for the queen she just won't even fly down from this She's a pistol shoe Like I'm not I'm not dealing with you know Panama is very…food motivated he also is very social. Yeah He doesn't enjoy interacting with people That does not mean that he is safe I mean you could not go into the enclosure with a heartbeat eagle Their talons are impressive…at least as are their beaks They are they are wild predators You know he's not domesticated. He's just Right. He doesn't know and that's even more dangerous is when an animal is imprinted. Right Because they don't know that they can't interact as a bird with with them So Right Exactly I think that pressing exhibit Yeah But that is a a really important distinction to make is that, there is a big difference between animal being habituated to humans and an animal being domesticated these are still very wild animals And again going back to the jaguars, there are jaguars at the Belize zoo something specifically of cheeky, the jaguar who was uh orphaned as a cub and had to be pretty much hand raised by…by the Belize zoo staff So she's she can never be released to the wild She's very habituated to humans but she is not a domesticated house cat. You cannot go into the enclosure with cheeky. Um just like you cannot go into the enclosure with Panama or with the Queen The the staff at the Belize zoo are very very…cognizant of that and they they do their best to you know keep themselves safe and also to keep the animals safe But yes it is very important to remember, uh even when you're going to the zoo and you get to see these animals up close…these are still very wild animals They're not pets You know they're not domesticated they're not livestock. They are wild animals and they they should be treated as wild animals and respected as wild animals. And…I think that that's one of the uh, the really good works of the bully Zoo and these other organizations do is letting people learn about these animals and teaching them…why these animals should be respected and why these animals are so important…to just to the world around us. Yeah I think that's the reason why we chose them as an inspiring animal for this month because we've had such interesting and…informative interactions you know as a biologist…I didn't know they even existed I'm sure I heard about them at some point in time but to meet them and learn their stories you know this is what makes an ambassador. They're not…They're not house pets. Right They are very very wild. And, you know we get the chance to see them only because…the police zoo does not go out and get animals and bring them in They're there because of they've had some un fortunate interaction with humans. Uh almost every animal in that zoo is you know something has not gone their way that they predicted and that's why they're there and they've turned them into educational experiences And when you see a harpy eagle and I hope you go to our websites, look at some of our videos and things we have of them which are pretty impressive or articles about you know Harvey Eagles…you're gonna learn that these are amazing animals And if you are interested in learning about birds or animals or things like that. I'm hoping that you know some of the some of the resources we provided are gonna really help you out with this So…I hope so as well They're they're really fascinating animals I would really encourage everyone please go to see the resources on our website and especially if you're interested in learning more about Panama and Duqueen, uh, to the Belize Zoo website and do these Belize zoo tours And if you ever have the chance to go to the Belize zoo in person, It's really a very amazing place And you can meet you can meet these these eagles, and it really is a a very, uh a very special experience I think to be able to see these animals up close. You…pictures really don't don't do them justice you know The pictures are beautiful but they're you you don't realize I think how…how big these animals are until you see them in first. Yep. Exactly And when they come and land near you and you see those talons and you realize, you know just…the power that's inside of them and the the amazing animals they are they are inspiring, and they are amazing. And so I think we'll go ahead there and and encourage you if ever you have any questions because to go ahead and ask us I think of our webpage you have all our emails and contact information. And Kayla would love to answer questions So Kayla what are you thinking for our November inspiring animal? Oh, before November…Maybe we could talk about the national animal of Belize. Uh we could talk a little bit about the tapir. I think it's to peer It would be wonderful I think I think that people would love to hear about to peers because…as with rest as with most of us to peers have been a big surprise to us as in in Biola just the first time we interacted with them. And I think that everybody would love that and we have some wonderful stories for that So we will go ahead and stop our inspiring animals for October. And I hope you have a great time with this and there's lots of resources up on our website. And I wanna thank Kayla for just an amazing job and she will be here to help us over the next uh couple episodes I think we have some fun unexpected ones that will come from some of our other, uh up or other partners. Oh I hope so Yeah It'll it'll it'll be a lot of fun So…Alright Well again if anyone has any questions please reach out I would…love to either answer your questions or direct you to Some of the other some of the other staff and, uh experts who we've worked with before who have a lot of really good firsthand knowledge with all of these animals that we talk about.