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1st Harpy Eagle nest in Bahia discovered at Veracel Station
Photo: João Marcos
Researchers recently discovered a nest of a Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), one of the largest birds of prey in the world, in Veracel Station, Veracel's Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) that straddles Porto Seguro and Santa Cruz Cabrália. It was the first time a nest of this threatened species has been found in the state of Bahia.
Veracel Station, containing 6,069 hectares of native vegetation, is the largest RPPN in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. It was created and is maintained by Veracel as part of the pulp and paper industry's program to preserve fauna and flora in remnants of the original forest.
Harpy Eagles, whose wingspans can reach two meters and weigh up to 10 kilos, had been regularly spotted in the Atlantic Forest in Bahia through the 1940s, but today they are quite rare in the region.
The nest was found high up a Juerana vermelha (Parkia pendula) tree, which grows to 30 meters in height. Studies carried out in Guyana and Venezuela have shown that Harpy Eagles regularly re-use the same nest or tree for nurturing their young. All indications are that the nest discovered in Veracel Station has been used every two years.
According to researcher Tânia Sanaiotti, this discovery is very important because it represents the opportunity for mating pairs of these eagles to reproduce in the wild in one of the few extensively preserved areas of Atlantic Forest still in existence.
Harpy Eagles are the largest birds of prey in Latin America. They mostly hunt sloths and monkeys in the crowns of tall trees. But in recent years, poachers and loss of habitat due to devastation of the forest by man have reduced their populations drastically in Brazil's Atlantic Forest regions.
Denise Balbão Oliveira, the biologist who is the coordinator of the Veracel Station, reported that she had been following the visits of a female Harpy Eagle to the area since 2003, and that the station's rangers had spotted a baby eagle for the first time in September. A team from the National Amazonian Research Institute's (INPA) Conservation Program, coordinated by Ms. Sanaiotti, was invited to come to study the occurrence.
"The next stage of the Harpy Project, created in 2004 to obtain more information about this species in the Atlantic Forest, is to monitor these birds here," reported Ms. Oliveira. "We will now monitor the nest and when it once again is occupied it will be possible to attach radio transmitters on individual birds. Thus, using satellite tracking, we will follow adults and their young and obtain information about the extension of their range, among other things."
She added that, besides studying the habits of the Harpy Eagle, this project would also make it possible to intensify investment in educational campaigns aimed at surrounding communities.
Veracel Station harbors more than 400 known vertebrate animal species and it is estimated that an equal number has yet to be catalogued. The station is the home to a number of mammals, including cougars and ocelots, along with many endemic species such as the Robust Tufted Capuchin monkey (Cebus apella robustus), the Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus), Geoffroy's Tufted-ear Marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) and the Thin-spined Porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus). Larger herbivores encountered at the station and protected from hunters include the Lowland (or Brazilian) Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), the Agouti Paca (Agouti paca) and the Red Brocket (Mazama americana).