The rare Harpy Eagle took a step toward recovery with the successful hatching of an egg at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. The eagle hatched on Saturday, 3 February 2001 at approximately 4:00 a.m. It is the fifteenth Harpy Eagle to hatch in captivity in North America and survive. Nine have hatched at the World Center for Birds of Prey and six at the San Diego Zoo.

"The Harpy Eagle is one of the most difficult recovery efforts we have ever undertaken," stated Dr. William Burnham, President of The Peregrine Fund. "Compared to the other species we have worked with, the Harpy Eagle is harder to propagate in captivity but easier to reintroduce into the wild," finished Burnham.

The young eagle is being kept in a climatically controlled brooder at the World Center. It can be seen through a video hookup at the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition, breeding pairs of Harpy Eagles can also be seen at the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center. Excerpts from one of the first ever video recordings of a Harpy Eagle hatching can be found on The Peregrine Fund's web site under "What's New."

Later this year, biologists will decide whether this young eagle will join others in the captive propagation program or be released in Panama's Soberania National Park. Over the past three years, five other Harpy Eagles raised in captivity have been released in the park. The Harpy Eagle is Panama's national bird.

The Peregrine Fund was founded in 1970 at Cornell University in response to the catastrophic decline of the Peregrine Falcon throughout much of North America. The efforts to save this species resulted in breakthroughs in the field of endangered species recovery. In addition to the Peregrine Falcon and Harpy Eagle, The Peregrine Fund is involved with conservation projects around the world with species such as the California Condor, Philippine Eagle, Aplomado Falcon, the Mauritius Kestrel, Madagascar Fish-Eagle, Orange-breasted Falcon, and other species. In addition, The Peregrine Fund has numerous other programs around the world focusing on preserving endangered environments (e.g. forests, wetlands, etc.) and improving local people's conservation ability.

For more information, contact:

Erin Katzner

Director of Global Engagement

Main Phone:208-362-3716

Direct Phone:208-362-8277