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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Rüppell's Vulture	Harpy Eagle
Scientific Name	Gyps rueppelli	Harpia harpyja
Order	Accipitriformes	Accipitriformes
Family	Accipitridae	Accipitridae
Conservation Status	Critically Endangered	Vulnerable
Length	—	100.0 cm (39.4 in)
Wingspan	125.6 cm (49.4 in)	200.0 cm (78.7 in)
Weight	7900.0 g (278.66 oz)	7500.0 g (264.55 oz)
Diet	--	Arboreal mammals including sloths, monkeys, and opossums, which make up over 70% of the diet. …
Clutch Size	1	2-3
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Rüppell's Vulture —

Harpy Eagle 100.0 cm

Wingspan

Rüppell's Vulture 125.6 cm

Harpy Eagle 200.0 cm

Weight

Rüppell's Vulture 7900.0 g

Harpy Eagle 7500.0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Rüppell's Vulture only

🌾 Grassland

Harpy Eagle only

🌲 Forest

Harpy Eagle

Tropical lowland rainforests, requiring large tracts of continuous forest with tall emergent trees for nesting.

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Song & Call Comparison

Rüppell's Vulture

Harpy Eagle

Song

Rarely heard; emits mournful whistled screams 'wheee-oo' and low croaking grunts near the nest. Vocalizations poorly documented given its remote Amazonian habitat.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Rüppell's Vulture

Harpy Eagle

Central and South America from southern Mexico through Brazil and northern Argentina. Range is shrinking due to deforestation.

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Conservation Status

Critically Endangered

Rüppell's Vulture

Vulnerable

Harpy Eagle

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How to Tell Them Apart

Rüppell's Vulture

Harpy Eagle

Plumage

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.

Bill

Massive dark hooked bill, one of the largest of any eagle

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About These Birds

Rüppell's Vulture

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.

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Related Comparisons

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