Harpies are basically people with wings and they usually have bird talons on their feet. Harpies can phase back and forth between human form and human-bird form, and usually eat human food. Old legends said that harpies would go stand on rocks in the sea and lure sailors to their deaths, but I doubt that's true. It was probably just a sadistic group of them that decided to have some fun.
Harpies must have wings that are large enough to carry their weight, therefore making it impossible to guess their actual length because harpies don't have a set size. They usually spread out between their shoulder blades, and it is said that a harpy's back always hurts from being split open and torn apart. Their teeth are unusually sharp, and their nails (even in human form) are long and tough. Perfect for scratching up enemies. ;P These creatures are also very pretty, sometimes even beautiful. Their skin can be any color (porcelain or tan) but they sometimes have strange undertones, such as blue, purple, or green.
Harpies communicate long-distance using a series of bird-like noises, such as chirps, squawks, shreiks, etc.A harpy also has an extremely good voice when it comes to singing. Most of them could beat out Celine Dion in a karaoke competition, and that's saying something. But they can use that voice for another purpose, too. If their pitch goes high enough, it becomes an ear-splitting shreik that could probably leave you temporarily deaf, maybe even permanently.
Some greek legends say that harpies were trapped in hell with Satan and forced to do his dirty work. Their wings were like bat wings, and they were ugly and vile. When they finally escaped, however, they decided to do good. Their wings turned to the wings of angels, and they were completely transformed into beautiful creatures. Another legend says that the gods would call on them to punish the wicked.
