Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) mortality in Ecuador

Abstract

Data about death incidents of Harpy Eagles in Ecuador were documented as a result of prolonged monitoring of their breeding activity. Adult mortality was recorded less frequently than juvenile mortality (9.4% and 28.6% respectively) and all adults were killed due to human persecution (shots) for different reasons. Reasons for juvenile death included falling or loss of height from the canopy while learning to fly and becoming trapped near the ground. There was one case where a juvenile was shot, and another of death after some aggressive behavior of an adult toward the juvenile when it should have been beginning its dispersion. This is the first account on mortality causes in a natural population of Harpy Eagle.