Justification This huge eagle is classified as Vulnerable on the basis of an estimated small population which may be declining through habitat loss, and locally at least, hunting. However, very little is known about its population size or trends and it may yet prove to be more secure than currently thought.

Family/Sub-family Accipitridae

Species name author Salvadori, 1875

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 75-90 cm. Very large, powerful eagle of forest canopies. Grey-brown upperparts including an erectile occipital ruff, barred wings and tail, pale brown upper breast, shading paler ventrally. Similar spp. In size, it is matched only by the short-tailed White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster and the uniformly very dark brown Gurney's Eagle Aquila gurneyi. In plumage, it is similar to the smaller Long-tailed Buzzard Henicopernis longicauda and Doria's Hawk Megatriorchis doriae but has an unstreaked breast. Voice Repeated, deep, resonating calls and grunts, often at night. Hints Can be heard and occasionally seen in any large forest with limited shotgun hunting.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,500-9,999

decreasing

734,000 km²

No

Range & population Harpyopsis novaeguineae is widely distributed on New Guinea (Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). It occurs at very low population densities and is nowhere common^7,8,12. There are no data regarding territory or total population size, but it is significantly less common or extirpated in most densely inhabited regions^1,7. There are only three records in four years from the heavily hunted Ok Tedi area⁹, but it has been reported to be relatively common in the Kikori basin where hunting pressure is low⁴.

Ecology: It is most common in undisturbed forest, but has been recorded from forest clearings and gallery forest from sea-level to 3,700 m^2,6,7. It feeds mainly on mammals, mostly marsupials and rats, but also pigs and dogs, and sometimes takes birds, lizards and snakes^3,7,12. It often hunts on the ground but also takes arboreal prey and extracts animals from tree-cavities^2,7. Only one active nest has been examined, containing a single chick, and it is possible that this species breeds less than annually⁷.

Threats It is hunted in most if not all forests of New Guinea, especially the highlands, for its tail and flight feathers which are used in ceremonial head-dresses. Hunting pressure is most intense close to densely inhabited areas (most people live in mid-montane altitudes). Guns are becoming increasingly available in west Papua, locally increasing hunting pressure⁷, but gun ownership has dropped in Papua New Guinea¹². Logging roads also open up previously inaccessible areas to hunting⁵. It may also suffer from competition with human hunters for large mammalian prey¹¹.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. It occurs in several protected areas, such as the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area¹⁰. It is fully protected by law in Papua New Guinea, but these laws are rarely enforced.

Conservation measures proposed Determine territory size and relate to prey abundance. Locate nests to research basic breeding biology. Research basic ecology of prey-species. Monitor numbers in study sites such as Kikori Integrated Conservation and Development Project area. Investigate hunting levels and possible regulation through discussions with local hunters. . Enforce protection in uninhabited reserve areas. Utilise as a flagship species in ecotourism initiatives.

References 1. Beehler (1985). 2. Beehler et al. (1986). 3. Beehler et al. (1992). 4. K. D. Bishop in litt. (1999). 5. I. Burrows in litt. (1994). 6. I. Burrows in litt. (1999). 7. Coates (1985). 8. J. Diamond in litt. (1987). 9. Gregory (1995a). 10. K. M. Kisokau in litt. (1994). 11. A. Mack in litt. (1999). 12. B. Beehler in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Guy Dutson (Birds Australia), Guy Dutson (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Andrew O'Brien (BirdLife International), Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International)

Contributors B. M. Beehler (Conservation International), K. David Bishop (VENT Bird Tours), Ian Burrows, Andy Mack (Wildlife Conservation Society)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Harpyopsis novaeguineae. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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