Harpy eagles are among the world's largest and most powerful raptors, but deforestation across Central and South America is destroying the primary forest habitat these apex predators require for survival.
Harpy eagles living in fragmented forests face significant welfare challenges. Their large territory requirements mean that deforestation quickly fragments previously contiguous habitat into patches too small to support breeding pairs. Adults habituated to approaching humans near forest edges are frequently shot by farmers who fear them or mistake them for livestock threats. Young eagles dispersing from natal territories into human-modified landscapes face elevated mortality from shooting, collision, and electrocution. Slow reproductive rates mean that even modest adult mortality has significant population consequences. The loss of mature forest patches destroys nest sites that breeding pairs may have used for generations, forcing birds into suboptimal secondary habitat.