Ecobreves – GUATEMALA:: Return of the Harpy Eagle

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA, Dec 9 2006 (IPS) - A harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), raised in captivity in Panama and released in Belize two years ago, was sighted early this month in the jungles of the northern Guatemalan department of El Petén. The species has not been seen in this area in the past quarter century, Estuardo Hernández, biology expert in the city of Tikal, told Tierramérica. The bird was identified, he said, thanks to a satellite transmitter and a ring around its right leg.

Harpy eagles, the largest bird in the area, can stand 85 to 107 cm tall, and are considered endangered.