Largest Eagles in the World Are So Big That Their Talons Are Bigger Than Bear Claws

Photo: Clément Jacquard via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

With its expressive face, collar of feathers, and black and grey tones, there's no denying that the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a striking creature. But if its distinct appearance isn't impressive enough, its height and wingspan certainly are. These powerful birds of prey can reach up to 3 feet 5 inches in height, with an overall wingspan of up to 7 feet 4 inches—making them look almost like a puppet out of Jim Henson's Labyrinth.

Its incredible size and unique appearance have made the harpy eagle quite a popular figure on the internet. Photographs of the large eagle often pop up on Reddit, where people marvel at its size. For a quick comparison, a female bald eagle averages up to 12 pounds, while the female harpy eagle weighs between 13 and 20 pounds. As female eagles are always stockier than their male counterparts, it's worth noting that a male harpy eagle will weigh between 9 and 13 pounds.

Despite its overall large size, its wingspan is a bit shorter than some other eagles due to habitat. These rare birds live in the upper canopy of tropical lowland rainforests from Mexico to Brazil and northern Argentina. The shorter wings help them navigate better through the forest, unlike other eagle species that mainly fly in large, open areas. Still, the harpy eagle remains the largest extant eagle in the world.

Photo: Stock Photos from worldswildlifewonders/Shutterstock

Photo: Stock Photos from Alfredo Maiquez/Shutterstock

They are native to the upper canopy of lowland rainforests but are losing habitat through deforestation.

Photo: Stock Photos from Chepe Nicoli/Shutterstock

Photo: Stock Photos from Thorsten Spoerlein/Shutterstock

Many are now also found in zoos and nature reserves across North and South America.

Photo: Stock Photos from guentermanaus/Shutterstock

More Harpy Eagle Facts

1. • The first written record of the harpy eagle is in Carl Linnaeus' 1758 Systema Naturae. He describes the bird as the Vultur harpyja, named after the Greek mythological spirit that had the body of an eagle and the face of a human. This is why many people think the bird is only a myth.
   • Harpy eagles are the rainforest’s largest and most powerful bird.
   • Harpy eagles and the African crowned eagles claim the title of the world’s strongest eagle.
   • They are strong enough to crush bones with their talons. (They can apply over 110 pounds of pressure.)
   • Harpy eagle nests are sparingly spaced out over large amounts of rainforest and well hidden up in the trees' huge canopies. This makes them extremely hard to find and study.
   • Their huge, durable nests made from sticks measure around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) deep and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide.
   • Panama officially adopted the harpy eagle as its national bird.
   • Although they're birds of prey, there are some uncommon cases where harpy eagles have been attacked and eaten by ocelots and jaguars.
   • Harpy eagles are known to “steal” livestock from commercial businesses, such as chicken, lamb, goats, and even piglets.
   • Similar to an owl, harpy eagles move their facial feathers in order to direct sound waves to their ears and improve hearing.
   • The harpy eagle was the inspiration behind the design of Fawkes the Phoenix (Dumbledore's animal companion) in the Harry Potter film series.