This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
You're listening to Discovery from the BBC World Service.
I'm Adam Hart and this is Tooth and Claw,
the series where I explore our complex and challenging relationships with Earth's greatest predators through the people who have spent their lives studying,
protecting and at times narrowly escaping them.
Today's predator is named after a mythical beast.
A crown of feathers atop its head,
this regal-looking raptor dominates the canopy of the rainforests across much of South and Central America.
With huge talons and strong legs, it's widely considered to be the most powerful bird of prey.
Yes, we're talking about the harpy eagle.
And joining us to discuss this apex predator are Dr. Elina Aguirre-Silva,
a biologist and associate research scientist at the National Institute for Amazonian Research in Manaus,
Brazil, and a member of Project Harpy Eagle.
and Dr. Eduardo Alvarez,
who founded a non-profit organisation called earthmatters.org to concentrate on the study and conservation of harpy eagles and to preserve their rainforest habitat.
Now,
harpy eagles are a very rare sighting even in the areas where they're found in South and Central America,
so I expect the vast majority of our audience will not have seen one.
Eduardo, what do they actually look like?
The striking thing about harp eagles is they're very large, unusually large when you see one.