Birds4Kids.blogspot.com : Harpy Eagles

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NATURAL WORLD : BIRDS -  HARPY EAGLE



Hey! Who's that guy in an eagle

costume  staring down at me?


Found in Central and South America, Harpy Eagles are the largest eagles in the world. At first glance, they look like humans dressed up in a fancy dress eagle costume. Feathers stand up like a crown on the head. About 3 to 5 feet tall, they have sharp black eyes and a large black hooked beak. The talons are larger than that of a grizzly bear's. No wonder they look like monsters.


The body is white while wings are black with white flecks. The females are larger in size than the males. Pointed talons which are 3-4 inches long, help them to prey on sloths, monkeys and snakes, their main foods. This prevents these animals from eating smaller animals and birds. Because of this eggs of small birds remain safe. This keeps a balance in the numbers of different living things in the forest. So you can see that harpy eagles like lions and humans are on top of the food chain.


Where and how do they live?

Harpy eagles build their nests on tops of trees with sticks and twigs. The nest is  so wide - 6ft. wide and more than a foot deep, that a human can lie in it. That is why they choose trees with thick widely spaced branches. They first build a frame with large sticks and then line it with soft leaves, grasses and animal fur.


A harpy eagle has a chick only once in two or four years and feed the eaglet for up to 10 months of its life. Parents mate for life. They bring fresh branches and twigs to the nest after the eaglet is born, This keeps the nest cool and also keeps insects and parasites away.


How do they hunt?
A harpy eagle will sit motionless in silence for hours waiting for its prey. Once a prey - a smaller animal passes by, they swoop down and grab it. They are fast and can fly at the speed of 50 miles an hour.


Cutting down trees and clearing up forests are killing harpy eagles because their habitat is threatened by the growing human population.



Let's talk about them:

Harpy Eagle

1. This is the largest eagle in the world.
2. It lives in South America.
3. It has sharp talons and a hooked beak.
4. This predator hunts monkeys and small animals.
5. Nests are found on tops of trees.


Public Speaking

Note for educators : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments here.


Readers are encouraged to contribute information for a new post that must contain  300 words at the most and three pictures. The topic should be a bird or animal not already included in this blog. The name and age of the contributor will be included in the post if it is published here.

Thank You
Please email your contributions to  cqfoundation@gmail.com



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