Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!olivea!oliven!mjm
From: mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Harpy Eagle and Hoatzin
Message-ID: <49672@olivea.atc.olivetti.com>
Date: 25 Oct 90 17:28:38 GMT
References: <147956@kean.ucs.mun.ca> <1310@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>
Sender: news@olivea.atc.olivetti.com
Lines: 24


In article <1310@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>, andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) writes:
 > In article <147956@kean.ucs.mun.ca> dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham)
 > writes:
 > > The sloth was apparently about 1/2 her body weight, which seems 
 > > incredible to me, and I was moved to wonder what bird can lift the
 > > greatest percentage of its own body weight, and whether any bird can 
 > > out-lift a Harpy Eagle.
 > 
 > There are records of Harpys lifting sloths about their own weight.
 > There are records of similar achievements for other eagles. I know
 > peregrines kill prey up to twice their body weight. I don't know if they can
 > carry such prey. Some owls have serious lifting capability too,
 > I've heard of an (Australian) Powerful Owls taking (and lifting) a Lyrebird
 > which I think would outweigh the owl. Eagle-Owls may be even more
 > formidable.

	I've heard of shrikes (Loggerhead, I believe) carrying their
own weight. Of course, they can only manage to do this a couple of
feet above the ground. I observed a Loggerhead Shrike carrying a
House Finch in this manner (just above the ground); a bird which is
a fair percentage of the weight of the shrike.

Mike