For a bird named after a horrid beast from Greek mythology, this raptor of unmatched power and majesty is pretty incredible. The “harpy eagle” was so named because of its resemblance to the chimerical harpy—storm spirits with the face of a woman and body of a bird who carried dead souls to the underworld, Hades.
The harpy eagle is the largest eagle on Earth and certainly the most powerful. Its first known documentation was in the 10th edition of “Systema Naturae” by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, who dubbed the bird “vultur harpyja” after the mythical beast. As we shall see, its moniker is well deserved….