Papuan Eagle
Harpyopsis novaeguineae
The Papuan Eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae) is a legendary kites, old world vultures, eagles, and hawk found in 2 countries, weighing about 2.0 kg. The Papuan eagle is a large bird of prey.
About the Papuan Eagle
The Papuan eagle is a large bird of prey. It is also known by several other names, including Papuan harpy eagle, New Guinea eagle, New Guinea harpy eagle, or kapul eagle, the latter name from the local name for a usually arboreal marsupial that the eagle is known to regularly hunt. This is an endemic species to New Guinea, and it can occasionally be found throughout the island. This is a forest-dwelling species, usually occurring in mature rainforest. The Papuan eagle is a fairly little-known species for a large eagle; however, it is known to prey on a wide range of prey, probably by and large mammals and birds from small to quite large sizes. Unique amongst eagles, the Papuan eagle is a…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The New Guinea eagle is a fairly large eagle and very large raptor. Though the sexes are similar, the female is slightly larger than the male, with a range up to a 34% size difference. In total length, adults range from 75 to 90 cm (30 to 35 in). The relatively short but broad wingspan, as expected in forest-dwelling raptors, is 121 to 157 cm (4 ft 0 in to 5 ft 2 in). The body mass widely reported is relatively light for so large a raptor at 1.6 to 2.4 kg (3.5 to 5.3 lb). This may be due in no small part to its extremely long tail, which measures 384 to 394 mm (15.1 to 15. Voice: The call of the Papuan eagle is a startlingly loud uumpph or okh, suggesting a very loud hiccup or taut bowstring. Their call is said to carry quite well through the forest. The main call is occasionally followed by a somewhat chicken-like but more loud and powerful buk-buk-buk. Also, a deep resonant bungh-bungh may be uttered at 2-3 second intervals.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Papuan Eagle?
- The New Guinea eagle is a fairly large eagle and very large raptor. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Papuan Eagle?
- The Papuan Eagle is a huge sized bird weighing about 2.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Papuan Eagle?
- The Papuan Eagle occurs in 2 countries, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Papuan Eagle?
- The Papuan Eagle is most easily confused with the White-collared Kite, the Barred Honey Buzzard and the Malagasy Harrier.
- Is the Papuan Eagle endangered?
- The Papuan Eagle is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Papuan Eagle for real
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