harpy eagle
1
8.4
- noun
- /ˈhɑrpi ˈiɡəl/
:
águila harpía
- Birdwatchers from around the world travel to Central America to catch a glimpse of the majestic harpy eagle in its natural habitat.
- jaguars and harpy eagles
Examples
-
Few birds in the Amazon are as impressive as the harpy eagle.
-
Researchers spotted a nesting harpy eagle high in the rain forest canopy.
-
The harpy eagle is known for its striking feathered crest and powerful talons.
-
The harpy eagle is known for its impressive size.
-
Have you ever seen a harpy eagle in the wild?
-
In the dense rainforests, the harpy eagle is known for its impressive size and striking appearance.
-
The powerful talons of the harpy eagle enable it to capture large prey such as monkeys and sloths.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A very large and powerful eagle from tropical forests with a crest
A large black and white eagle with a crest that lives in the forests of Central and South America
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun–noun compound: 'harpy' denotes a particular kind of large crested eagle and 'eagle' names the bird, so 'harpy eagle' is directly interpretable as an eagle of the harpy type. This compositional, type-specifying pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Harpy eagle gets its name from the old Greek creature called the harpy, a fierce flying creature that would 'snatch' things. People saw the large forest eagle with its very strong talons and thought of that 'snatching' image, so the name fits a powerful hunting bird.