The Peregrine Fund reports that approximately fifteen harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) have been released recently into the wild in Belize with the help of the Harpy Eagle Restoration Project. The forests that are chosen are places where harpy eagle populations once existed and are now depleted or endangered due to climate change. They are brought in from Panama, after which they are acclimated through a long, careful process before being released. The new birds are tracked and their patterns are studies. The Harpy Eagle Restoration Project videotaped the delivery process of the latest harpy eagle released in Belize.

See video here:

The harpy eagle is one of the world’s largest birds and the largest raptor in the Americas. It has a six-foot wingspan, magnificent snowy-white feathers, strikingly dark eyes and a crown of tufted feathers on its head. Harpy eagles also have large, strong claws that help them while hunting monkeys, sloths, opossums and other similarly sized mammals. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) layer.

For more information, see http://www.peregrinefund.org/whats_new.asp

See more at http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/centralamerica/belize/explore/the-harpy-eagle-returns.xml