296 
THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vo/. 124. No. 2. June 2012 
TABLE 3. Harpy Eagle observations north of Panama, 1990-2011. 
Years 
Date 
Observation type 
1 an al ion. Country 
Ciution 
2011 
Jan-Jun 2011 Mated pair, juvenile, nest 
Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize 
Rotenberg et al. (this 
paper) 
Aug 2011 
Adult 
Chiapas. Mexico 
Mandujano 2011 
Feb 2011 
Adult, nest (?) 
Chiapas, Mexico 
Morales 2011* 
2001-2010 
Nov 2010 
Mated pair, juvenile, nest 
Bladen Nature Reserve. Belize 
Jones and Komar 2011" 
Oct 2010 
Adult 
Thousand Foot Falls. Belize 
Jones and Komar 2011 
Nov 2009 
Juvenile 
Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize 
Conference 
presentation* 
Apr 2008 
Mated pair 
Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize 
Conference 
presentation* 
2006-2008 
Adults (6 sightings) 
Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize 
Conference 
presentation* 
Dec 2005 
Juvenile 
Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize 
Jones and Komar 2006’ 
1991-2000 
2002 
Juvenile 
Oso Peninsula. Costa Rica 
Jones 2002 
Mar 2000 
Adult 
Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize 
Lewis 2000 
Feb 2000 
Adult 
Caracol Archeological Reserve, 
Belize 
Lewis 2000 
2000 
Adult 
Peten, Guatemala 
Vargas et al. 2006 
1998 
Adult 
Chiapas, Mexico 
Puebla-Oiivares et al. 
2002 
Apr 1994 
Adult 
Esperanza Camp. Toledo District. 
Belize 
Jones et al. 2000 
1994 
Adults, mated pair, nest 
Oaxaca. Mexico 
Peterson et al. 2003 
1990 
1991 
Adult 
Chiapas, Mexico 
Morales-Perez 1998 
1990 
Adult 
Aguacate Village, Toledo District. 
Belize 
Jones et al. 2000 
a Unconfirmed sighting 
c Observations by Rotenberg et al. (this paper). 
C Xn ' C °" greSS 0f The Mesoan,Bri «n Society for Biology and Conservation, j. A. Rotenberg. j. A. Marlin, and W. Garcia, 2009. 
the nesl. but this was a rare prey item (n = 1). 
Instead, the eagles preyed upon non-primate 
species such as D. marsupialis and N. narica. 
More observations are necessary, and it remains 
unclear as to why A. pigra was selected in similar 
numbers to the mammal species over A. geojfroxi 
when spider monkeys seemed abundant. Obser¬ 
vations of reintroduced Harpy Eagles in northern 
Belize (A. Muela. unpubl. data) also found eagles 
more commonly led on N. narica rather than 
primates. Second, drought conditions may have 
had an adverse eftect on our Harpy Eagle parents. 
Belizean climate is characterized by wet and dry 
seasons with the wet season from mid-May 
through November. The wet season in 2011 did 
not commence until mid-June, and the dry season 
was pronounced with extensive fires across the 
country. Lack of food due to a drought-stressed 
habitat may have caused the Harpy Eagle parents 
to abandon the chick or they may have deserted 
the juvenile because of human interference. 
We believe there may be additional Harpy Eagle 
breeding pairs within the BNR and Maya Moun¬ 
tains. This secretive species may not have been 
observed in these areas due to the rugged terrain 
and remoteness. Additional Harpy Eagle research 
and monitoring in Belize similar to that conducted 
in Panama (Vargas Gonzalez and Vargas 2011) arc 
necessary' to examine survivorship and population 
size, as well as territories and home ranges in the 
northernmost extent of their range. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We thank the Belize Forest Department and Ya’axehc 
Conservation Trust for permitting and logistical support ui 
the BNR. We gratefully acknowledge the following lor 
their generous support of our project: The Peregrine Fu-‘ 
National Geographic Society-Waiu Foundation. The Pr >■ 
tcctcd Areas Conservation Trust of Belize. The NaM* 
Conservancy. The Belize Zoo, The Columbus Zoo 
Conservation Fund. Disney Worldwide Conservation Fundi 
Natural Encounters Conservation Fund. Santa Fe College 
Teaching Zoo. Norcross Wildlife Foundation. Optics for the 
Tropics. Biodiversity Research Institute, and the Doper: 
merit of Environmental Studies. University of North 
Carolina Wilmington. We thank the following individuals: 
Angel Muela. Richard Foster. Sharon Matola. Steven 
