In ancient mythology, a harpy is a creature with a bird's body and the head of an old woman. It was the personification of vicious passions. Harpy is a bird that got its name because of the cruelty with which its prey eats. Being a rather large bird of prey, the harpy is carnivorous, it is an excellent hunter with a proud, even majestic appearance.
Harpy bird settles in the tropical forests of Central and South America. You can recognize it by the characteristic plumage. The feathers of the wings are black and white, the head and chest are white, on the back of the head there is a thick plumage that rises on end at the moment of excitement. At such a moment, it seems that the bird has a wreath of feathers on its head. The South American harpy still haunts the locals. Firstly, because of its size. The body length of the female reaches 100-110 cm, while the bird can weigh up to 9 kg. Secondly, because of the terrible strong beak and powerful developed paws with pointed claws. Moreover, the harpy is afraid of the observers: the bird (photo below) brutally destroys its prey. According to the observations of experts, the predator loves torturing monkeys most of all.
A harpy is a bird that can soar for hours over its territory, looking for flocks of monkeys, after which it selects a victim and grabs it. The torture begins with the harpy hatching the victim's eyes, then tearing the throat, and then tearing it to pieces. Scientists cannot unravel the phenomenon of this hatred. After all, the predator destroys any of its other prey instantly. The harpy often preys on smaller birds, parrots, possums, ground squirrels and domestic sheep and pigs, however it is the monkeys that make them suffer and suffer. During the hunt, she uses her colossal vision, and in the dark, with increased hearing. Stone falling from a height, this predator leaves no chance for its prey. Even harpy livestock drags. The bird, however, remains untouched, as it is sacred among Aboriginal Indians.
Despite this fact, the bird population is declining sharply. The reason is deforestation and environmental damage caused by humans. In addition, after mating, only one egg appears in the clutch, the mating season happens once every two years. Such low fecundity is due to the large size of the harpy. A pair formed during puberty does not break up until the end of life. Each family has a clearly defined territory. At the highest point of the cliff there is a huge nest in diameter - up to 2 meters! In it, a couple can live a lifetime if it is not disturbed. After the appearance of the chick, the father guards the nest from strangers and hunts. The female carefully takes care of the baby. Unfortunately, this is very rarely observed in captivity. Only one case is known when the zoo managed to get offspring from the harpy, and that chick soon died.
After the birth of the chick for a long time is in the nest. Parents react sensitively to any encroachment, and may even attack a person. This concern continues until the chick flies out of the nest. This happens at the age of 1 year, although already at 10 months the bird flies confidently. Puberty does not occur earlier than after 4 years. So far, the harpy population totals about 2 thousand individuals. This figure is negligible, for this reason the harpy is a bird listed in the International Red Book.
