RECOVERY AND RELEASE OF CROWNED SOLITARY

EAGLE (HARPYHALIAETUS CORONATUS) IN SIERRA DE LAS

QUIJADAS NATIONAL PARK, SAN LUIS, ARGENTINA
Andrés Capdevielle, Facundo Barbar, and Manuel Encabo, Zoológico
de Buenos Aires, Proyecto de Conservación y Rescate de Aves Rapaces,
Fundación Bioandina Argentina. República de la India 3000 CP 1425,
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Gustavo Aprile, Servicio de Asistencia para
Animales Silvestres. Serrano 1779 CP 1663 San Miguel, Provincia de
Buenos Aires, Argentina; y Ramiro Rodriguez, Proyecto de
Conservación y Rescate de Aves Rapaces, Fundación Bioandina
Argentina, República de la India 3000 CP 1425 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract
We recovered a female Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus) that
had been shot. After its clinical recovery, the eagle passed through two different stages
of training: (1) flights to the glove, vertical jumps, and flights on a long leash, and (2)
flights in a field, hunting non-wild prey similar to or the same as its natural prey. In
both cases, the bird was trained everyday and was fasted once a week initially and twice
a week during the second stage of training. We kept the eagle in a 3 × 4-m box with a
mobile platform. The bird gradually recovered physically during the stages of
quarantine and physical rehabilitation that included muscular exercises and flight
resistance. Its behavior toward potential prey also changed and it developed hunting
skills. Because of this, we decided to release the eagle in Sierra de las Quijadas
National Park where information on the number of eagles, their location, and the
environmental conditions of the area were available. The bird was released after 20
months in captivity and is now being tracked by radio.
Neotropical Raptors (Bildstein et al., Eds.) 2007. Pages 140-144.

REHABILITACION Y LIBERACION DE AGUILA CORONADA

(HARPYHALIAETUS CORONATUS) EN EL PARQUE NACIONAL SIERRA DE
LAS QUIJADAS, SAN LUIS, ARGENTINA

Resúmen
Se trabajó en la rehabilitación de un ejemplar hembra de Harpyhaliaetus coronatus
cuyo cuadro inicial incluía herida de bala. Tras su recuperación clínica, las tareas de
entrenamiento al vuelo y a la caza incluyeron dos etapas: 1) vuelos al guante, saltos
verticales y vuelos con fiador; 2) vuelos en campo, escape y búsqueda de presas. En
ambos casos, el entrenamiento se realizó de manera diaria.
El ave superó, paulatinamente, las etapas de cuarentena, rehabilitación física
(musculatura y resistencia al vuelo) y comportamental (reacción positiva ante presas
potenciales y aptitud para la caza). Por lo que se propuso su liberación dentro de la
provincia de San Luis de donde era procedente. La liberación se efectuó en el Parque
Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas (donde se tiene información del número de ejemplares,
su situación y las condiciones ambientales del área). Luego de veinte meses de trabajo,
140
el ejemplar fue liberado, siendo actualmente monitoreado en el terreno mediante radio-
telemetría.

Introduction
The Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus) is a large bird of prey
with a total length of 75 cm and a wing span of 190 cm. Its distribution includes open
forests and savannas in central and southeastern Brazil, central and western Paraguay,
and central and northern Argentina. The species feeds almost entirely on vertebrates,
and especially armadillos (Dasypodidae) and snakes (Crotalidae) (Giai 1950, Collar et
al. 1992, Maceda et al. 2003). Despite its broad distribution, it is considered to be one
of the most threatened raptors in South America, mainly because its preferred habitat is
being modified by humans (Collar et al. 1992, Fraga 1997, Bertonatti and Aprile 1998),
and because they are persecuted. Because of this, the species is categorized as
endangered (UICN 2004). The Bird of Prey Conservation and Rescue Program
(Proyecto de Conservación y Rescate de Aves Rapaces [PCRAR]), which is housed in
the Buenos Aires Zoo together with the Fundación Bioandina Argentina to help
rehabilitate raptors that are brought to the Zoo as a result of confiscations or donations,
received a female Harpyaliaetus coronatus from San Luis province in December 2003
that had been shot. After its clinical recovery and without any specific background
information, we began general rehabilitation exercises to improve its physical fitness
and flight ability. We also began training it to take natural prey.
Sierra de las Quijadas National Park in San Luis province (the origin of the bird),
was proposed as the release site. Information about the number of individual eagles in
the area and environmental conditions indicated this was an appropriate release site
(Lopez and Pereyra Lobos, pers. comm.). After 20 months in rehabilitation, the bird
was released and is now being tracked in the field with radio-telemetry.

Methods
After the clinical recovery of the bird, including the healing of a bullet wound,
psychophysical rehabilitation was started (Aprile and Bertonatti 1996). Without any
available information about captive handling of this species, we used standard
rehabilitation and falconry training methods to prepare the bird for release.
To select the specific site for release, we studied the known locations of existing
wild birds at the park along with topographic maps of the area to determine which
would be the most suitable area to release the eagle that also would permit us to track it.
A radio transmitter was placed on the bird 15 days prior to release and two
secondary feathers were bleached on both wings so that we could identify the eagle in
flight. Radio tracking involved long walks along an approximately 2,000-km route
through western and northwestern sections of the park. We also launched an education
campaign in the area so that park visitors and local residents could help with re-
sightings.

141
 Results
Tables 1 and 2 summarize our training efforts. By the end of its training period we
believed that the bird was in optimal physical and behavioral condition for release (Fig.
1).

Table 1. Training activities during rehabilitation of a female Solitary Crowned Eagle

(Harpyhaliaetus coronatus) held in the Birds of Prey Conservation and Rescue
Program at the Buenos Aires Zoo.

Training session
15 months 492 sessions Weight 3060 g Fast once a week
Daily flights
30 flights 15-30 m 675 m 835 minutes
Daily vertical jumps
60 to 100 jumps 2 m in height 160 minutes
Daily food intake
106 g 78% rat/mouse 9% chicken 8% bovine 5% other

Table 2. Field training activities during rehabilitation of a female Solitary Crowned

Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus) held in the Birds of Prey Conservation and Rescue
Program at the Buenos Aires Zoo.

Training sessions
36 days 234 flights 206 good response Weight 3020 g
Distance
8947 m 53 m/flight 12-96 m in length 52% returns 13,509 m total
Simulations used
Glove (74%) Live prey (14%) Decoy (7%)
Daily food intake
103 g 77% rat/mouse 9% rabbit 8% chicken 7% other meat

Final aspects of training occurred from 16 August through 16 September at the

release site, so as to familiarize the bird with the area.
The release site, Potrero de la Aguada was in a valley with the typical environment
for this type of eagle including shrubs, xerophilous scrubland, and quebracho blanco
and algarrabo forests, with available prey including Patagoinian maras (Dolichotis
patagoniensis), armadillos (Dasypodidae), Molinas hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus
chinga), and Elegant Crested Tinamous (Eudromia elegans), and a topography that
made it relatively easy to track the bird.
Another important task was to alert and sensitize the local community to our work
so as to create cooperation and support for our efforts and recognition of the need to
protect this species (Fig. 2). Thanks to this aspect of the project it has been possible to
compile information from the local people who already have seen the eagle several
times and have provided important information regarding its movements during the first
6 months after release.

142
 To date, three seasons of tracking have occurred during which the bird was re-
sighted in the spring 2005, summer 2006, and autumn 2006. During each sighting, the
bird appeared to be healthy and utilizing the resources at the release site.

Figure 1. The senior author training a female Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus
coronatus).

Conclusions
We believe our rehabilitation and training efforts have paid off and that the bird
has been successfully returned to the wild. Finally, we emphasize the importance of the
participation of the local community. Without them, we would not have collected
sufficient information to successfully track and re-sight the bird.

Acknowledgments
We thank the Buenos Aires Zoo, Fundación Bioandina Argentina and the Director
of Wild Animals, that supported and collaborated with us, Fundación Ecológica de
Lujan for making a field available to train the eagle, the Centro de Recría de Animales
Silvestres Guirá-Ogá, for advising us in the handling and training of the bird, Proyecto
de Conservación Cóndor Andino, for supplying us with the radio receiver, Proyecto
Coronada – Telteca for participating in the field work and helping to select the release
site, Fundación Aquila (Spain), for donating the radio transmitter and the ribbon for the
harness, Unión de Ornitologos de Chile for advising us with the rehabilitation task, the
Administración de Parques Nacionales, for providing us the authorizations, offering us
their facilities and helping us with the logistics of this work, the Dirección Provincial
de Fauna de San Luis, for trusting in our work and sending us the specimen to
rehabilitate, El Diario de la República, for spreading our work in the province of San
143
Luis, Argentina, Video Arte, for producing an education video to make people aware of
the perils confronting the species, and, finally, to PCRAR volunteers Milena de Benito,
Natalia Rosciano, Florencia Sans, and Dr. Guillermo Wiemeyer, who stayed in Buenos
Aires taking care of birds in rehabilitation and running Proyecto de Conservación y
Rescate de Aves Rapaces.

Figure 2. The local community.

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