Scary pingers have fear of nothing, except for one thing, i.e. the nightmare of any animal on the island: the crowned incubo (Vulturaquila cristata). It's a giant eagle with a wingspan of 3.5 meters, as much as a wandering albatross with strong talons that could pierce the thick skin of an armadrail.
They are capable of bringing down the heaviest ducktails on the island without any issues, but their large wings do not allow them to pursue their prey inside closed forests.
They are not endemic to Marie Byrd, but they can be found also in Weddell and Ellsworth islands, with some scattered populations in the Lorentz peninsula. On the mainland, crowned incubos are replaced by an even larger species of the same genus, which predominantly lives in the Scrubring. Nests are made on cliffs, where they accumulate aromatic plants to cover the smell of nestling feces, to deter parasites and other harmful insects.

Inside woodlands, where this giant eagle is unable to hunt, a silent predator stalks its prey from its roost, before striking them down: the spectacled skeagle (Charadriraptor insularis).
With the expansion of forests, skeagles were able to flourish again, maintaining a woodland preference. Their wings are rounded, to quickly change direction and dodge trees while moving at high speed. Ground tyrants, wotters and rails are no match against this bird, which is as large as a harpy eagle. Spectacled skeagles are found only on Marie Byrd, but they are not alone: at least two skeagles are found there, adapted to hunt smaller prey. Skeagles create their nests on large trees, usually austral oaks, where they lay up to 3 eggs: unlike incubos, skeagles do not show a siblicide behavior, taking care of their nestlings until they become autonomous.
Its name derives from the color pattern of its dorsal plumage, which resembles two large eyes, a bizarre (but successful) method that discourages attacks from larger birds.