🦅 Harpy eagle vs Secretarybird 🦅
The harpy eagle and the secretarybird are about the same size. The harpy eagle weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Harpy eagle | 🦅 Secretarybird |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 35 in to 3.3 ft89 cm to 1 m1 | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The harpy eagle weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. | 11 to 20 lb5 to 9 kg1 | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg2 |
| Lives The harpy eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the secretarybird. | 25 to 35 years25 to 35 years1 | 19 years19 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | sloths and monkeys, and sometimes lizards and birds | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the treetops of tropical lowland rainforest from southern Mexico to northern Argentina | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara |
Which one? Harpy eagle or secretarybird
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the harpy eagle or the secretarybird yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Harpy eagle vs Secretarybird
- The harpy eagle: A huge gray rainforest eagle with a crest on its head.
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The harpy eagle and the secretarybird are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The harpy eagle weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the harpy eagle and 2 for the secretarybird.
- The harpy eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the secretarybird. Usual lifespans: 1 for the harpy eagle and 2 for the secretarybird.
- Both eat meat. The harpy eagle eats sloths and monkeys, and sometimes lizards and birds; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
- The harpy eagle lives in the treetops of tropical lowland rainforest from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The harpy eagle: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦅 Harpy eagle
- A harpy eagle lives high in the rainforest treetops.
- Its main foods are sloths and monkeys.
- It has a crest of feathers on its head.
🦅 Secretarybird
- A secretarybird walks a long way on foot each day.
- It has very long legs for a bird of prey.
- It can fly well, too.
Questions kids ask about Harpy eagle and Secretarybird
Which is bigger, harpy eagle or secretarybird?
The harpy eagle and the secretarybird are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, harpy eagle or secretarybird?
The harpy eagle weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the harpy eagle and 2 for the secretarybird.
Which lives longer, harpy eagle or secretarybird?
The harpy eagle usually lives about one and a half times as long as the secretarybird. Usual lifespans: 1 for the harpy eagle and 2 for the secretarybird.
What do harpy eagle and secretarybird eat?
Both eat meat. The harpy eagle eats sloths and monkeys, and sometimes lizards and birds; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
Where do harpy eagle and secretarybird live?
The harpy eagle lives in the treetops of tropical lowland rainforest from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, harpy eagle or secretarybird?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/harpy-eagle-vs-secretarybird
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Harpia harpyja (harpy eagle), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.