Due to the very low success rate of nests last year in Belize, out of nine nests, only one chick was seen to fledge successfully, this year we decided to collect and hatch Orange-breasted Falcon (OBF) eggs instead of collecting chicks. Our goal is to obtain three females to complete our captive-breeding stock at the Neotropical Raptor Center in Panama. Collecting eggs early during incubation decreases the probability of natural predation and increases the chances of successfully collecting the young birds that we need. Also, by taking eggs, the likelihood that the pair would lay another clutch of eggs in the same breeding season is high, thus potentially duplicating the production of OBF eggs for that year. Our plan, then, is to keep any females that hatch and to release the males back into the forests of Belize.

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At least two of the Harpy Eagles that have been released are hunting on a regular basis and are no longer dependent on food we provide. For a long while, we suspected that these birds were obtaining their own food, but it was not until we began following each of these eagles daily for more than a week, that we could directly confirm their hunting abilities. These two birds are both female and demonstrate a preference for sloths, perhaps due to the fact that a sloth is one prey item that is relatively easy to catch. We believe that sloths are one of the primary animals that young Harpy Eagles catch, and that later, once the birds have refined their hunting techniques, they will begin to capture more difficult prey, like howler monkeys and other primates.

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In June, two other Harpy Eagles joined the first set of birds that had been released in Belize in April. The four eagles continue to develop perfectly, and the older male (Black DX) has been the most adventurous of the bunch as he continues to explore the surrounding forest and ventures the farthest. All four eagles continue to return to the hack site regularly to feed. We believe it will still be a few more months before we see the first hunting attempts made by one of these birds, but, the volunteers in charge of caring for the birds have nothing but positive things to report.

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March has been a month with some ups and downs. On March 6, two young Harpy Eagles were released in Soberania National Park. Unfortunately, lack of experience caused MC to be killed by a Jaguar the day after she was released. Even though some natural predation is to be expected (in the wild, a high percentage of animals die within their first year due to predation), our goal is to minimize those events as much as possible.

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Moving the Harpy Eagle breeding pairs from our headquarters in Boise to our Neotropical Raptor Center in Panama had an incredible and positive impact on the reproductive behavior of the birds. Their new breeding chambers, located in the middle of the forest, combined with a rich and diverse diet and careful management of the clutches of eggs, allowed us to hatch 17 eaglets, a number that exceeded our wildest expectations. What a successful year!

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Just a few months after the Harpy Eagle breeding pairs were moved from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise to our Neotropical Raptor Center in Panama, we have achieved and exceeded with great enthusiasm the results we expected. At the end of January, two Harpy Eagle chicks, produced by Venezuelan female “GN,” and captive-bred male “Zih,” hatched without any problems. These chicks, a male and a female, are growing very well and are presently in a chamber right next to, and in full view of, an adult Harpy Eagle so that the youngsters can relate themselves naturally to their species.

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Just a few months after the Harpy Eagle breeding pairs were moved from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise to our Neotropical Raptor Center in Panama, we have achieved and exceeded with great enthusiasm the results we expected. At the end of January, two Harpy Eagle chicks, produced by Venezuelan female “GN,” and captive-bred male “Zih,” hatched without any problems. These chicks, a male and a female, are growing very well and are presently in a chamber right next to, and in full view of, an adult Harpy Eagle so that the youngsters can relate themselves naturally to their species.

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October has been an important month for our project in Panama . We finally moved our Harpy Eagle breeding stock from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise to our Neotropical Raptor Center at the City of Knowledge just outside of Panama City. Most people of Panama consider the Harpy Eagle to be their National Bird, and the news of the Harpy Eagles’ arrival in Panama was received with enthusiasm and community support. A total of six eagles were transported to the Center where we now have a total of 11 Harpy Eagles.

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October has been an important month for our project in Panama . We finally moved our Harpy Eagle breeding stock from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise to our Neotropical Raptor Center at the City of Knowledge just outside of Panama City. Most people of Panama consider the Harpy Eagle to be their National Bird, and the news of the Harpy Eagles’ arrival in Panama was received with enthusiasm and community support. A total of six eagles were transported to the Center where we now have a total of 11 Harpy Eagles.

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Within the last year we have secured an excellent arrangement with various Panamanian governmental organizations, most notably the National Environment Authority, City of Knowledge, and the Panama Canal Authority. Through their strong support we now have offices and housing, as well as a large bit of rainforest adjacent to a national park. And this, minutes from Panama City! The Neotropical Raptor Center (NRC), which is The Peregrine Fund’s facility for the region, is home to our Harpy Eagle and Orange-breasted Falcon (OBF) Projects, and it will diversify as needs arise. 

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Within the last year we have secured an excellent arrangement with various Panamanian governmental organizations, most notably the National Environment Authority, City of Knowledge, and the Panama Canal Authority. Through their strong support we now have offices and housing, as well as a large bit of rainforest adjacent to a national park. And this, minutes from Panama City! The Neotropical Raptor Center (NRC), which is The Peregrine Fund’s facility for the region, is home to our Harpy Eagle and Orange-breasted Falcon (OBF) Projects, and it will diversify as needs arise.

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In August 2000, one of our Harpy Eagles, James, was shot and killed by a poacher just outside of the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, an island within the Pamana Canal. James (named thus because one of his transmitter frequencies ended in 007—"James Bond") was released on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) a year before and had yielded vast amounts of information on Harpy Eagle biology. James hatched in September 1997 and was released in nearby Soberania National Park in March 1998. A few months later, we trapped him in Soberania National Park, as he was roaming areas known to have poacher activity. James was then used as an educational bird and visited many schools and communities.

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This is a PDF archive:January 1999 - April 1999

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This is a PDF archive:August 1998 - December 1998

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