New Guinea Harpy Eagle
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| Harpyopsis novaeguineae Salvadori, 1875 |
The New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Harpyopsis novaeguineae also known as Kapul Eagle is a huge, up to 90cm long, greyish brown raptor with a short full crest, broad three-banded wings, powerful beak, large iris, long rounded tail and white below. It has long and powerful unfeathered legs with sharp claws. Both sexes are similar. The female is a slightly larger than the male. It is the only member of monotypic genus Harpyopsis.
The New Guinea Harpy Eagle is confined and endemic to undisturbed tropical rainforests of New Guinea, where it became the top predator of the island. The diet consists mainly of phalangers or Kapul in local language, hence its alternative name. It also feeds on other mammals, birds and snakes.
One of a group of four large eagles, the others being the neotropical Crested and Harpy Eagle of South America, and the Philippine Eagle of the Philippines, the New Guinea Harpy Eagle is essentially a mountain bird, that nests in high forest trees.
Due to ongoing habitat lost, small population size and hunted for its feathers, used in ceremonial occasions, the New Guinea Harpy Eagle is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Harpyopsis novaeguineae. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
