The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is the national bird of the Republic of Panam a, and standing three feet tall and up to a seven feet wingspan, it is the strongest bird of prey in the world !

Even though these magnificent birds have no natural predators, they have but disappeared from most of their historical range from Mexico to Argentina; mainly due to habitat loss and direct persecution.

Luckily Panama today has the greatest concentration of harpy eagles in all of Mesoamerica, with more than 200 breeding pairs estimated.

Over time we have learned of about 10 different eagle nests throughout the country, from the Darien to the Panama Canal Watershed, to Bocas del Toro. Through our network of native guides we are monitoring their current status.

It is our belief that rainforest conservation and education efforts need to be complemented with alternatives for the native people of the rainforest, so they can help us protect the Harpy Eagle and their rainforest realm, and still manage to make a living. This can be achieved by promoting sustainable tourism in the areas where Harpy Eagles are found.

While visiting various places throughout Panama during our tours, we make sure local people are aware of the reason why we are coming to visit them. We make special mention of charismatic umbrella species such as Quetzals and Harpy Eagles. When we come to these remote towns and villages, we are hiring native guides, paying a contribution to stay at guest homes, hiring cooks and porters, as well as renting mules. We normally invite our guests to purchase beautiful and colorful handicrafts to support the locals. Plus, we often times bring donations to the local schools and support sporting events among villagers. In all, these direct and indirect contributions by our tours result in an incredibly positive impact in the impoverished indigenous economies, at the same time we create a sense of pride for their natural and cultural resources, thus helping their long-term preservation.

Please help us safeguard this species and their natural habitat by visiting and supporting the villages that monitor and protect Harpy Eagles