PostHole
Compose
Login
Tooth and Claw: Harpy Eagles
Named after a beast from Greek mythology, the harpy eagle is widely considered to be the most powerful bird of prey due to its strong legs and huge talons. With a crown of feathers atop its head, and known for eating monkeys and sloths, this regal-looking raptor dominates the rainforest canopies across much of South and Central America.
Presenter Adam Hart looks into the folklore and cultural importance of these imposing birds, as well as finding out why these apex predators of the treetops are having to increasingly search for ground-dwelling prey such as armadillos. He also hears how harpy eagle researchers were the pioneers for biological applications of GPS in order to study and track these animals in the dense rainforest.
Contributors:
Dr. Helena Aguiar-Silva, biologist and associate research scientist at the National Institute for Amazonian Research and a member of Projeto Harpia Brasil.
Dr. Eduardo Alvarez founder of a non-profit organisation called EarthMatters.org, to concentrate on the study and conservation of harpy eagles and to preserve their rainforest habitat.
Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Image: Harpy eagle and nest with chick
Credit: João Marcos Rosa
Accessibility links
BBC World Service
Discovery
- Discovery Home
- Episodes
- Galleries
- Podcast
- Join us on Facebook
Main content
Listen now
Tooth and Claw: Harpy Eagles
Discovery
Named after a beast from Greek mythology, this raptor dominates rainforest canopies and is considered to be the most powerful bird of prey due to its strong legs and huge talons.
Named after a beast from Greek mythology, the harpy eagle is widely considered to be the most powerful bird of prey due to its strong legs and huge talons. With a crown of feathers atop its head, and known for eating monkeys and sloths, this regal-looking raptor dominates the rainforest canopies across much of South and Central America.
Presenter Adam Hart looks into the folklore and cultural importance of these imposing birds, as well as finding out why these apex predators of the treetops are having to increasingly search for ground-dwelling prey such as armadillos. He also hears how harpy eagle researchers were the pioneers for biological applications of GPS in order to study and track these animals in the dense rainforest.
Contributors:
Dr. Helena Aguiar-Silva, biologist and associate research scientist at the National Institute for Amazonian Research and a member of Projeto Harpia Brasil.
Dr. Eduardo Alvarez founder of a non-profit organisation called EarthMatters.org, to concentrate on the study and conservation of harpy eagles and to preserve their rainforest habitat.
Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Image: Harpy eagle and nest with chick
Credit: João Marcos Rosa
###
####
Higher quality (128kbps)
Lower quality (64kbps)
Available now
26 minutes
Last on
Mon 21 Jul 2025
00:32GMT
BBC World Service except Europe and the Middle East
More episodes
Previous
Next
See all episodes from Discovery
Featured
####
Broadcasts
Mon 14 Jul 2025
19:32GMT
BBC World Service
Mon 14 Jul 2025
22:32GMT
BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East
Tue 15 Jul 2025
04:32GMT
BBC World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
Space
The eclipses, spacecraft and astronauts changing our view of the Universe
The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry
[The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry]
A pair of scientific sleuths answer your perplexing questions. Ask them anything!
Podcast
Discovery
Explorations in the world of science.
Similar programmes
By genre:
- Factual > Science & Nature
By format:
Magazines & Reviews
[BBC World Service homepage]
News in more than 40 languages