The Nature Conservancy in Belize - The Harpy Eagle Returns

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“This endeavor is twofold in importance — it has transformed the Bladen Reserve from an exclusive place to one that involves the community.”

—Alejandro Martinez, director of The Nature Conservancy in Belize

Go Deeper

The Nature Conservancy in Belize
Belize has a wealth of biodiversity, with both lush forests and impressive coral reefs. Find out what the Conservancy is doing to protect this unique area.

The Maya Forest
Stretching from the Caribbean coast of Mexico through Belize and into Guatemala, the Maya forest is home to more than 95 mammal species, 45 reptile species, 18 amphibian species and 112 fish species.

Other Birds of Prey
From the Bald Eagle to Swainson’s Hawk, birds of prey are magnificent animals. Find out about the Harpy Eagle’s fellow raptors through our Animal Profiles.

Early one December morning in 2005, six researchers were breaking down their campsite in Belize’s remote Bladen Reserve. Suddenly there was a flash of white in the trees ahead: A large white bird was perched on a branch barely 150 meters away from the group.

“We thought it might be a sight that had not been seen in Belize since the 1950s — a Harpy Eagle in the wild,” says Jacob Marlin, director of the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), a Conservancy partner.

But the bird was young and the team wasn't sure. “We got closer and closer and took photographs and observed it for the next 45 minutes while it just sat there,” Marlin continued.

The mysterious bird finally flew away to the other side of the creek and the researchers resumed their work. After they circulated the pictures among several ornithologists, they got the news: The bird was indeed the legendary Harpy Eagle.

And this brief and accidental sighting began a sustained effort to return the Harpy Eagle to Belize’s Maya forests — one being led by The Nature Conservancy.

A Rare Raptor

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 tufty feathers on its head. Harpy Eagles also have large strong claws that help them while hunting monkeys, sloths, possums and other similarly sized mammals.

But this amazing eagle has been threatened throughout the Americas by loss of forest cover and development pressures extending through once-pristine forests. Sightings of wild Harpy Eagles in Central America are becoming rare: The bird's large wingspan and the heavy weight of its preferred prey mean that Harpies make frequent stops during flight—and thus need significant expanses of contiguous forest cover to survive.

While the eagle has been completely eliminated from some parts of the Maya forest, Marlin says the December 2005 sighting gave reason for optimism about the bird. "The initial sighting was a good indicator that there may be more Harpy Eagles in these remote areas,” Marlin says.

The Quest to Find More Harpy Eagles

Shortly after the sighting in late 2005, The Conservancy’s Belize program, BFREE and other partners began a community-based conservation program to research bird habits and look for other Harpy Eagles in Belize’s Maya Mountains.

“This endeavor is two-fold in importance — it has transformed the Bladen Reserve from an exclusive place to one that involves the community,” says Alejandro Martinez, director of The Nature Conservancy in Belize. “Our engagement here also helps provide the communities with the necessary skills for alternate livelihoods such as becoming bird guides, avian researchers, tour guides and forest rangers.”

In February 2007 — shortly after the program began — a small group of avian technicians, interns and researchers were once again by a riverside in the Bladen Reserve when they saw a large white bird fly onto the top of a tree. They observed it, took notes, photos and some video footage.

“This sighting is significant," says Martinez. "It indicates that there are still extensive forests in the Maya Mountains that provide healthy habitats for large species such as the Harpy Eagle."

Successful Captive Breeding

The Conservancy is also working with Central American partners involved in the captive breeding and hatching of harpy eagles. The Peregrine Fund in Panama has been breeding and hatching harpy eagle eggs in captivity.

After these young eagles are tagged, they are released into the wild with the help of the Belize Zoo. The Peregrine Fund and other Conservancy partners then observe and monitor the range and habits of these Harpies.

Last December, an eagle named "DT" — which was released into Belize’s Maya forest earlier in 2006 — was spotted in Guatemala after flying over 6,000 miles in six weeks.

This multifaceted approach to restoring the Harpy Eagle to the wild exemplifies how the Conservancy works in Central America. In the 16 million acre large Maya forest regions of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, we are engaging governments, local communities and other NGOs in the fight to conserve the great forests of Mesoamerica for the birds, animals and people who live there. We work to foster better forest management practices, sustainable livelihoods, and increased awareness of how healthy forests can create healthy communities.

The Conservancy is also running an outreach and education program with the Belize Zoo in the tri-national region of the Rio Bravo Conservation Area. School children are being taught the importance of large predators and the reasons to keep these habitats healthy. So far, 600 out of 2,000 students in the areas have participated in the program.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Steven Brewer/BFREE (Harpy Eagle); Photo © Steven Brewer/BFREE (Harpy Eagle).