This is Bird Note.

If there is a single bird that captures the imagination of birders, it may be the

harpy eagle.

Harpy eagles are huge, powerful hunters that spend their lives in tall, remote, tropical

forests in Central and South America, named for the harpies of Greek mythology, gruesome

women with the bodies of birds. These eagles fly from tree to tree in search of food, rarely

venturing into the open sky above.

Feathered in varying shades of gray with a white belly, the harpy has a strong hooked beak

and distinctive tall feathers that stand out straight from its head.

Harpy eagles are massive. Females, larger than males, are three and a half feet long,

and weigh up to 20 pounds. That's heavier than the largest bald eagle. Their rear talons

measure a full five inches, ideal for plucking sloths and

monkeys from the trees. Harpy eagles may not be the hounds of Zeus, but they are legendary

in their own right. However, human persecution and ongoing cutting of forest are threatening these eagles,

who raise just one nestling every two or three years.

So each one is precious and spectacular.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.