Panama
 (Harpy Eagle Poster)

Panama Bird Guide            Harpy Eagle Poster

The Harpy Eagle is the National Bird of the Republic of Panama. About twenty pairs occur in the Darien region, two pairs nest in Chagres National Park adjacent to the Canal Zone, and several are believed to occur in the northwest part of the country adjacent to Costa Rica. Formerly distributed throughout Central America and the tropical areas of Mexico, Harpy Eagles are now very rare north of Panama.  Loss of habitat has been a contributing cause, but less so than the random shooting that also decimates populations of other species of larger wildlife.  A Harpy Eagle released by the Peregrine Fund of Boise Idaho on Barro Colorado Island, a protected area in the Canal Zone,  was recently shot when it crossed  to the adjacent mainland. Clearly, Harpy Eagles and all other larger birds of prey can not maintain their numbers if subjected to random shooting, are the objects of trophy hunting, or are persecuted for whatever reason

Older members of Audubon societies in the USA recall the times when birds of prey were routinely shot as 'vermin' or merely because they were tempting targets to 'sport' hunters. Recent shootings of two of the reintroduced California Condors have reminded us that this mentality is not entirely a thing of the past. But the environmental education programs of Audubon societies have been enormously successful in changing public attitudes towards birds of prey and other wildlife. Working with Panama Audubon, we propose to support and participate in comparable programs in Panama.

Hans Peeters with Harpy Eagle

Expanding an association of the Harpy Eagle in the popular mind with sovereignty and independence, themes that are particularly popular in Panama, to include the protection of forests, big trees, of tropical forests and of watersheds that maintain water cycles will be the goal of the initial phase of the environmental education program. This program  includes the creation of the poster shown above which is being  distributed in the schools and among both public and private institutions in Panama.  It is based on a painting  by the local artist Hans Peeters. who visited Panama on our behalf in 2000 to make sketches of Harpy Eagles and of their habitat. Logos on the poster include those of Panama Audubon , GGAS, USAID (which provided invaluable assistance in the creation of the poster) and of a local sponsor, Santours of Oakland. By purchasing the painting, the Bodega Bay Institute of Berkeley acquired reproduction rights, which it has donated to GGAS.  The additional expenses in the preparation and printing of the poster were paid from the contributions of participants in the 2001-2002 field trips to Panama.

Copies of the poster are available for $10 plus postage from Bob Risebrough at pelecanus@igc.org.