The Harpiinae Family: 1 Hawk and 3 Eagles

I was looking for non-mammals and stumbled onto this curious subfamily of birds of prey. They are called the Harpiinae, which have large broad-winged birds. Let me break them down:

Bat Hawk

Bat Hawk– This is the 1 hawk in the group and it is named after its favorite food. They actually catch bats and swallow them whole in midflight. They do have long wings even though they’re a hawk. Found in Sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and New Guinea, the bat hawk has a wide range. This makes it generally least concerned, but some local populations are listed as endangered such as in South Africa.

Crested Eagle

Crested Eagle– This eagle can reach a wingspan of 69 inches. It is found in Central and South America. It hunts by waiting and scanning the area before attacking prey instead of flying around. They are classified as near threatened due to habitat destruction, but they are also very difficult to find. They also compete with one of their more common and powerful relatives, who will be at the end of the list.

Papuan Eagle

Papuan Eagle– Found in New Guinea, this eagle is also called a Kapul Eagle. It gets this name from eating Kapul, which is a type of marsupial. They have never been very common, but their numbers are declining rapidly due to deforestation. They do not appear to be very adaptable and have been known to abandon areas once logging roads are made. It is considered vulnerable.

Harpy Eagle

Harpy Eagle– This is who the subfamily is named after and is the largest raptor found in Central America. It is also one of the largest eagles in general. This is the one that shares a territory with the Crested Eagle, which makes them competition. As with the others, it is threatened by habitat loss. Harpy eagles are top predators with only humans acting as a threat. Two of their favorite prey are monkeys and sloths, which they will pluck out of the branches. Just like the Crested Eagle, it usually waits until it sees prey and then takes to the air to dive. It will hunt while flying and even chase birds while trying to stay out of sight until an opportunity appears.

Let’s see some videos, which are mostly Harpy Eagles:

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.

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