A harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) was recently sighted and documented in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas, after being considered extinct in Mexico, according to the organization Dimensión Natural.
This species is listed as endangered in the Mexican Official Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
The discovery was announced a few days ago during the Chiapas Birding Festival 2025, the most important birdwatching gathering in the country.
“For many years, the scientific community considered it an extinct (extirpated) species in Mexico… Now, in 2025, we can announce to the world that harpy eagles still exist in Mexico, which is very encouraging news for us,” stated Alan Monroy Ojeda, a conservationist and member of the team responsible for the record.
He noted that “the dream began in 2016” with community monitoring in the rainforest, and that the corresponding scientific document will be published soon.
Monroy also warned that “the remaining eagle population is very small, so immediate conservation action is urgently needed,” since “the loss of Mexican rainforests, on which the eagle depends, is increasing every day.”
He thanked the Dimensión Natural team, the community monitors from Siyaj Chan, Natura Mexicana AC, and CONANP, and stated that “the challenge of conserving this eagle is everyone’s.”
Another witness to the sighting was conservationist Efraín Orantes Abadía, who recalled his experience with another harpy eagle decades earlier.
“I remember the instructions from my dear brother Jesús Estudillo (may he rest in peace) at the El Nido aviary: ‘Efra, you will enter the enclosure with its keeper, always behind him, because he knows him.’ And so it was; my heart was beating fast with excitement (it had been more than 20 years since I had seen the only live one at Zoomat). We entered, and there it was, perched at the back of the enclosure, as if in attack pose.”
Regarding the recent recording of an eagle in the Lacandon Jungle, he briefly described the encounter.
“Suddenly, it flew, but not toward us, but to perch next to us and give us these incredible shots that I am sharing with you today.”
“Today, the species has been officially located and documented through a scientific article by Dimensión Natural, which gives us hope that there are still opportunities to save this majestic bird.”
The harpy eagle is one of the largest and most powerful raptors in the world, with a wingspan that can reach up to 2 meters and a female weighing between 6 and 9 kg.
Its preferred habitat is the humid tropical rainforests of Central and South America, and its diet consists primarily of arboreal mammals such as monkeys and sloths.
Due to its imposing appearance and hunting abilities, the harpy eagle has been linked in some cultures to superstitions and popular beliefs. It was attributed with evil powers, and was sometimes considered a witch or a supernatural being, leading to its persecution and hunting.
This species, considered endangered, depends on the conservation of these ecosystems for its survival.
Source: aristeguinoticias
