Belted Kingfisher vs Harpy Eagle
Megaceryle alcyon compared with Harpia harpyja
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Belted Kingfisher | Harpy Eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Megaceryle alcyon | Harpia harpyja |
| Order | Coraciiformes | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Alcedinidae | Accipitridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) | 100.0 cm (39.4 in) |
| Wingspan | 53.0 cm (20.9 in) | 200.0 cm (78.7 in) |
| Weight | 150.0 g (5.29 oz) | 7500.0 g (264.55 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily small fish caught by plunge-diving from a perch or hover. Also takes crayfish, frogs, … | Arboreal mammals including sloths, monkeys, and opossums, which make up over 70% of the diet. … |
| Clutch Size | 6-7 | 2-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Belted Kingfisher
Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, estuaries, and coastlines with clear water and suitable perches. Nests in burrows dug into earthen banks.
Harpy Eagle
Tropical lowland rainforests, requiring large tracts of continuous forest with tall emergent trees for nesting.
Song & Call Comparison
Belted Kingfisher
A loud, rattling 'klee-klee-klee-klee' — mechanical and penetrating. Given in flight along rivers. Also a harsh 'kekekek' near nest. Far louder than Common Kingfisher.
Harpy Eagle
Rarely heard; emits mournful whistled screams 'wheee-oo' and low croaking grunts near the nest. Vocalizations poorly documented given its remote Amazonian habitat.
Geographic Range & Migration
Belted Kingfisher
North America from Alaska and Canada to Central America and the Caribbean. Northern populations migrate south in winter.
Harpy Eagle
Central and South America from southern Mexico through Brazil and northern Argentina. Range is shrinking due to deforestation.
Conservation Status
Belted Kingfisher
Harpy Eagle
How to Tell Them Apart
Belted Kingfisher
Blue-grey upperparts with a shaggy crest and a white collar. Males have a single blue-grey breast band; females have an additional rufous belly band.
Long, heavy, straight, dark dagger-like bill
Harpy Eagle
Slate-black upperparts and head with a pale grey breast and white underparts with black barring. A distinctive split grey crest rises when the bird is alarmed.
Massive dark hooked bill, one of the largest of any eagle
About These Birds
Belted Kingfisher
The belted kingfisher is unusual in that the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an additional rufous belly band. These noisy birds announce their territory with a distinctive rattling call. They excavate nesting burrows up to 2.4 meters deep into riverbanks using their heavy bills.
Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle is among the most powerful raptors in the world, with talons as large as a grizzly bear's claws. It is the national bird of Panama. Deforestation poses the greatest threat to this species, as each breeding pair requires a vast territory of undisturbed forest.