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Harpy Eagle
Harpia harpyja
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
- FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
- GenusHarpia
- SpeciesHarpia harpyja (Harpy Eagle)
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
119 Verified sightings at Yasuní National Park From 2019 to 2026
765 In all 7 parks
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a large neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the largest bird of prey throughout its range, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) canopy layer. Destruction of its natural habitat has caused it to vanish from many parts of its former range, and it is nearly extirpated from much of Central America. It is the only member of the genus Harpia, which, together with Harpyopsis, Macheiramphus and Morphnus, forms the subfamily Harpiinae.
The harpy eagle was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Vultur harpyja, after the mythological beast harpy. It is now the only species placed in the genus Harpia that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. The harpy eagle is most closely related to the crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis), the Papuan eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae) and the bat hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Harpy Eagle in Yasuní National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Yasuní National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Harpy Eagle in Yasuní National Park?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Harpy Eagle sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 307th most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Harpy Eagle in Yasuní National Park?
January and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Harpy Eagle in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and June–December, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Harpy Eagle?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Harpy Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Yasuní National Park the best place to see a Harpy Eagle?
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Harpy Eagle sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Darién National Park (Panama, about 20%), Sierra de la Macarena National Park (Colombia, about 20%) and Amboró National Park (Bolivia, under 5%).
Which relatives of the Harpy Eagle live in Yasuní National Park?
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Harpy Eagle that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Roadside Hawk (about 30%), Plumbeous Kite (about 20%) and American Swallow-tailed Kite (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Harpy Eagle sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Harpy Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (119 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
