# Harpy eagle (*Harpia harpyja*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/harpy-eagle  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), also called the American harpy eagle, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. It is a medium-sized carnivore of forest habitats, with an adult body mass of 4.8 kg and a wingspan of 1.9 m. Its clutches hold 2 eggs, incubated for 55 days, at a rate of 0.5 clutches per year, and it reaches sexual maturity at 5 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.4 kg – 8.3 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.75 m – 2.02 m |
| Lifespan | 16.8 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 55 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 4.97 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Accipitriformes
- family: Accipitridae
- genus: Harpia
- species: *Harpia harpyja* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Aquila brasiliensis cristata*, *Aquila cristata*, *Falco harpyja*, *Thrasaetos harpyia*, *Thrasaëtus harpyia*, *Vultur harpyja*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the harpy eagle?

The harpy eagle is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae and the order Accipitriformes.

### How big is the harpy eagle?

The harpy eagle has an adult body mass of 4.8 kg, with reported values from 4.4 to 8.3 kg. Its wingspan is 1.9 m, with reported values from 1.75 to 2.02 m.

### What does the harpy eagle eat?

The harpy eagle is a carnivore.

### Is the harpy eagle endangered?

The harpy eagle is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does the harpy eagle live?

The harpy eagle has a lifespan of 16.8 years.

### How many eggs does the harpy eagle lay?

The harpy eagle lays 2 eggs per clutch, at 0.5 clutches per year. The eggs are incubated for 55 days.

### Who named the harpy eagle?

The harpy eagle's scientific name, Harpia harpyja, has the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/harpy-eagle