AI used to alter wildlife video featuring “Black Harpy Eagle”
The video claims to show a massive Black Harpy Eagle sitting on a man’s shoulder. Frame analysis shows AI manipulation.
A short clip shared online claims to show a massive Black Harpy Eagle, described as “one of the most powerful birds in the world,” calmly sitting on a man’s shoulder in a forest. The video quickly spread across social media because of the unusually large size and almost mythical appearance of the bird.
Using the AI Video Detector, we analyzed the footage and found that 70% of the frames were generated or modified by AI. This is a common example of hybrid video manipulation, where real video is used as a base and AI-generated elements are layered on top. In this case, the human subject and forest background appear authentic, but the bird shows clear signs of AI alteration.
Pay attention to the highlighted frames in the heatmap: they turn red during moments when the bird moves its wings or shifts position. These sections reveal AI artifacts — texture warping, unnatural feather motion, inconsistent shadows, and mismatched lighting. Such patterns indicate that the “harpy eagle” was either enhanced or entirely generated using AI tools.
This case is an example of how AI is increasingly used to create animal-related hoaxes for clicks and engagement. Always verify wildlife videos that seem unbelievable using a video deepfake detector.
