Harpy Eaglet (1.5 yrs old)
Harpia harpyja

f6.7 @ 1/5000s, ISO:1600, Nikon D3S w 500mm and 1.7X teleconverter

"Harpy Eagle," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. No display is known between pairs of eagles, and they are believed to mate for life. A pair of harpy eagles usually only raises one chick every 2–3 years. After the first chick hatches, the second egg is ignored and normally fails to hatch unless the first egg perishes. The egg is incubated around 56 days. When the chick is 36 days old, it can stand and walk awkwardly. The chick fledges at the age of 6 months, but the parents continue to feed it for another 6 to 10 months. The male captures much of the food for the incubating female and later the eaglet, but also takes an incubating shift while the female forages and also brings prey back to the nest. Breeding maturity is not reached until birds are 4 to 6 years of age. Adults can be aggressive toward humans who disturb the nesting site or appear to be a threat to its young.

The Darien Gap, Darien Province, Panama

03/03/2017