"Our brief encounter with Harpies just before we flew over Prolgu, however, was highly suspicious. So far as I'm able to determine, that was the only time anyone has ever seen them. Their semihuman form makes them appear far more dangerous than they really are. A human face does not automatically indicate human intelligence, and their lack of a beak makes them a second-rate bird of prey. Father and I evaded them rather easily and flew on."
Polgara the Sorceress