Haast's eagle

Haast's eagle was first scientifically described by Julius von Haast in 1871 from remains discovered by the Canterbury Museum taxidermist, Frederick Richardson Fuller,{{Cite news |title=Extinct Birds Series; Part Two; Haast's Eagle |date=9 December 2008 |work=The Press |publication-place=Christchurch, New Zealand |issn=0113-9762}}{{Cite web |date=30 July 2021 |title=Pouākai – The world's largest eagle |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/stories/2018806223/pouakai-the-world-s-largest-eagle |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=Radio New Zealand |language=en-nz |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213031520/https://www.rnz.co.nz/stories/2018806223/pouakai-the-world-s-largest-eagle |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last=Holdaway |first=Richard |title=Terror Of The Forest |journal=Notornis |date=October–December 1989 |issue=4 |publisher=New Zealand Geographic |url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/terror-of-the-forest/ |access-date=23 August 2020 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925033638/https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/terror-of-the-forest/ |url-status=live }} in a former marsh.{{cite book |last=Tudge |first=Colin |title=The Secret Life of Birds: Who they are and what they do |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=svGx1UuNEB0C&pg=PT117 |date=6 August 2009 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-196210-8 |page=117 |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115060916/https://books.google.com/books?id=svGx1UuNEB0C&pg=PT117 |url-status=live }} Haast named the eagle Harpagornis moorei after George Henry Moore, the owner of the Glenmark Estate, where the bones of the bird were found.{{cite journal |last=Haast |first=Julius |author-link=Julius Haast |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Po42AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA193 |volume=4 |year=1872 |pages=193–196 |title=Notes on Harpagornis Moorei, an Extinct Gigantic Bird of Prey, containing Discussion of Femur, Ungual Phalanges and Rib |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115060915/https://books.google.com/books?id=Po42AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA193 |url-status=live }} The genus name was from the Greek harpax, meaning "grappling hook", and ornis, meaning "bird".{{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=Kate |title=Return of the Lost Birds |journal=New Zealand Geographic |url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/return-of-the-lost-birds/ |date=November 2018 |issue=154 |page=30 |language=En |issn=0113-9967 |access-date=1 October 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927082705/https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/return-of-the-lost-birds/ |url-status=live }} DNA analysis later showed that this bird is related most closely to the much smaller little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) as well as the booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) and not, as previously thought, to the large wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax).{{Cite news |title=Extinct Haast's eagle might have been more like a Haast's vulture, study finds |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/127150610/extinct-haasts-eagle-might-have-been-more-like-a-haasts-vulture-study-finds |last=Allot |first=Amber |date=1 December 2021 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Stuff |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322092243/https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/127150610/extinct-haasts-eagle-might-have-been-more-like-a-haasts-vulture-study-finds |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Bunce |first1=M. |last2=Szulkin |first2=Marta |last3=Lerner |first3=Heather R. L. |last4=Barnes |first4=Ian |last5=Shapiro |first5=Beth |last6=Cooper |first6=Alan |last7=Holdaway |first7=Richard N. |year=2005 |title=Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle |journal=PLOS Biology |volume=3 |issue=1 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009 |pages=e9 |pmid=15660162 |pmc=539324 |doi-access=free}} Harpagornis moorei was therefore reclassified as Hieraaetus moorei.

H. moorei is estimated to have diverged from these smaller eagles as recently as 1.8 million to 700,000 years ago.{{Cite news |title=Observatory: [Science Desk] |last=Fountain |first=Henry |date=4 January 2005 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} If this estimate is correct, its increase in weight by ten to fifteen times is an exceptionally rapid weight increase.{{Cite news |title=Haast's eagle only became giant in the move to New Zealand, DNA tests show |last=Bunce |first=Michael |date=13 January 2005 |work=National Post |publication-place=Canada, Don Mills |issn=1486-8008}} The suggested increase in the average weight of Haast's eagle over that period would therefore represent the largest, fastest evolutionary increase in average weight of any known vertebrate species.{{Cite journal |title=Species distribution modeling reveals strongholds and potential reintroduction areas for the world's largest eagle |journal=PLOS One |last1=Miranda |first1=Everton B P |issue=5 |last2=Menezes |first2=Jorge F S |year=2019 |publication-place=San Francisco, United States |eissn=1932-6203 |last3=Farias |first3=Camila C L |last4=Munn |first4=Charles|volume=14 |pages=e0216323 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0216323 |doi-access=free |pmid=31083656 |pmc=6513255 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1416323M }} This was made possible in part by the presence of large prey and the absence of competition from other large predators, an example of ecological release and island gigantism.{{cite journal |title=Ancient DNA Tells Story of Giant Eagle Evolution |journal= PLOS Biology |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages= e20 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030020 |date=4 January 2005 |pmc=539337 |doi-access= free}} A recent mitochondrial DNA study found it to be more closely related to the little eagle than the booted eagle, with an estimated divergence from the little eagle around 2.2 million years ago.{{Cite magazine |title=How a Giant Eagle Once Came to Dominate New Zealand |date=12 September 2022 |magazine=Smithsonian |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-giant-eagle-once-came-to-dominate-new-zealand-180980726/ |last=Upholt |first=Boyce |access-date=22 March 2024 |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322092243/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-giant-eagle-once-came-to-dominate-new-zealand-180980726/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=Michael |last2=Thomas |first2=Jessica E. |last3=Haile |first3=James |last4=Prost |first4=Stefan |last5=Ho |first5=Simon Y.W. |last6=Dussex |first6=Nicolas |last7=Cameron-Christie |first7=Sophia |last8=Kardailsky |first8=Olga |last9=Barnett |first9=Ross |last10=Bunce |first10=Michael |last11=Gilbert |first11=M. Thomas P. |date=May 2019 |title=Mitogenomic evidence of close relationships between New Zealand's extinct giant raptors and small-sized Australian sister-taxa |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |language=en |volume=134 |pages=122–128 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2019.01.026 |pmid=30753886 |bibcode=2019MolPE.134..122K |s2cid=73420145}} It was placed in the genus Aquila by recent taxonomists.{{Cite news |title=Maori legend of man-eating bird is true |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/maori-legend-of-man-eating-bird-is-true/QRUOJKCF524QMJKX5P7SMTGO2Y/ |last=Rodgers |first=Paul |date=14 September 2009 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |archive-date=10 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510015905/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/maori-legend-of-man-eating-bird-is-true/QRUOJKCF524QMJKX5P7SMTGO2Y/ |url-status=live }}

File:Giant Haasts eagle attacking New Zealand moa.jpg

Haast's eagle was one of the largest known true raptors. In length and weight, it was even larger than the largest living vulture (the Andean condor).{{Cite news |title=This Extinct Eagle May Have Gulped Guts Like a Vulture |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/science/haasts-eagle-vulture-new-zealand.html |last=Imbler |first=Sabrina |date=30 November 2021 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322101045/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/science/haasts-eagle-vulture-new-zealand.html |url-status=live }} Another giant bird (not actually an eagle save for in name) more recently and scantily described from the fossil record, the Woodward's eagle, which resided in North America,{{cite journal|url=https://silo.tips/download/the-identity-of-the-fossil-raptor-of-the-genus-amplibuteo-aves-accipitridae-from|title=The Identity of the Fossil Raptor of the Genus Amplibuteo (Aves: Accipitridae) from the Quaternary of Cuba|author=Suarez, William|journal=Caribbean Journal of Science|volume=40|issue=1|pages=120–125|year=2004|access-date=22 March 2024|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520180441/https://silo.tips/download/the-identity-of-the-fossil-raptor-of-the-genus-amplibuteo-aves-accipitridae-from|url-status=live}} rivaled the Haast's in at least the aspect of total length.{{cite journal |last=Suarez |first=W. |year=2004 |title=The identity of the fossil raptor of the genus Amplibuteo (Aves: Accipitridae) from the Quaternary of Cuba |url=http://www.redciencia.cu/geobiblio/paper/2004_Suarez,%20W._Fossil%20Raptor%20of%20the%20Genus%20Amplibuteo_Cuba.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.redciencia.cu/geobiblio/paper/2004_Suarez,%20W._Fossil%20Raptor%20of%20the%20Genus%20Amplibuteo_Cuba.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |journal=Caribbean Journal of Science |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=120–125}} Female eagles were larger than males.{{Cite news |title=The man – killer that came from the sky |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/lifestyle/2522035/The-man-killer-that-came-from-the-sky |last=O'Connor |first=Tom |date=28 July 2009 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Taranaki Daily News |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322093601/https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/lifestyle/2522035/The-man-killer-that-came-from-the-sky |url-status=live }} Most estimates place the female Haast's eagles in the range of {{convert|10–18|kg|abbr=on}} and males around {{convert|9|-|12|kg|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal |last=Brathwaite |first=D. H. |title=Notes on the weight, flying ability, habitat, and prey of Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei) |journal=Notornis |date=December 1992 |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=239–247 |publisher=Ornithological Society of New Zealand |url=http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_39_4_239.pdf |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119162446/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_39_4_239.pdf |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |title=Maori legend of man-eating bird is true |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/maori-legend-of-man-eating-bird-is-true/QRUOJKCF524QMJKX5P7SMTGO2Y/ |last=Rodgers |first=Paul |date=14 September 2009 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322095247/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/maori-legend-of-man-eating-bird-is-true/QRUOJKCF524QMJKX5P7SMTGO2Y/ |url-status=live }} A comparison with living eagles of the Australasian region resulted in estimated masses in Haast's eagles of {{convert|11.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for males and {{convert|14|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for females. One source estimates that the largest females could have weighed more than {{convert|16.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.Worthy, T. & Holdaway, R., The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric Life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press (2003), {{ISBN|978-0253340344}} The largest extant eagles, none of which are verified to exceed {{convert|9|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in a wild state, are about forty percent smaller in body size than Haast's eagles.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood |title=The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats |publisher=Guinness |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9 |author=Wood, Gerald |url-access=registration}}

File:Harpagornis claw vs eagle.png, the little eagle]]

It had a relatively short wingspan for its size. It is estimated that the grown female typically spanned up to {{convert|2.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, possibly up to {{convert|3|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in a few cases.{{cite web |url=http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/haastseagle.htm |title=Recently Extinct Animals – Species Info – Haast's Eagle |author=Maas, P. |publisher=The Sixth Extinction |access-date=19 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120225443/http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/haastseagle.htm |archive-date=20 January 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/macro/islandrule/haast'seagle.html |title=Haast's Eagle |publisher=Paleobiology and Biodiversity Research Group |access-date=19 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505231658/http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/macro/islandrule/Haast'sEagle.html |archive-date=5 May 2014 |url-status=dead}} This wingspan is broadly similar to the larger range of female size in some extant eagles: the wedge-tailed eagle, golden eagle (A. chrysaetos), martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) are all known to exceed {{convert|2.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in wingspan. Several of the largest extant Old World vultures, if not in mean mass or other linear measurements, probably exceed Haast's eagle in average wingspan as well.{{cite book |year=2001 |title=Raptors of the World |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=0-7136-8026-1 |author1=Ferguson-Lees, J. |author2=Christie, D.}} Haast's eagle's relatively short wingspan has sometimes led to it being incorrectly portrayed as having evolved toward flightlessness, even though evidence strongly suggests that it flew.{{Cite news |title=Extinct Bird Series; Part Two; Haast's Eagle |date=29 December 2008 |work=The Press |publication-place=Christchurch, New Zealand |issn=0113-9762}} Instead, its short and broad wings represents an evolutionary departure from the mode of its ancestors' soaring flight in favour of navigating through a crowded woodland environment. Haast's eagles are likely to have hunted within the dense shrubland and forests of New Zealand, somewhat akin to other forest-dwelling raptors like the goshawks or harpy eagle.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228152921/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3044.shtml |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3044.shtml |title= Haast's eagle, New Zealand giant eagle |archive-date= 28 February 2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date= 30 September 2014}}

Some wing and leg remains of Haast's eagles permit direct comparison with living eagles. The harpy eagle, the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), and the Steller's sea eagle are the largest and most powerful living eagles, and the first two also have a similarly reduced relative wing-length as an adaptation to forest-dwelling. A lower mandible from the Haast's eagle measured {{convert|11.4|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}} and the tarsus in several Haast's eagle fossils has been measured from {{convert|13.7|to|16.2|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=A. |year=1888 |title=On Avian Remains in Southland |journal=Transactions of the New Zealand Institute}} In comparison, the largest beaks of eagles today (from the Philippine and the Steller's sea eagle) reach a little more than {{convert|7|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}; and the longest tarsal measurements (from the Philippine and the Papuan eagle, Harpyopsis novaeguineae) top out around {{convert|14|cm|in|frac=2 |abbr=on}}.Ladyguin, Alexander (2000). [http://www.wbsj.org/nature/kisyou/eagle/pdf/morphology.pdf The morphology of the bill apparatus in the Steller's Sea Eagle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207065315/http://www.wbsj.org/nature/kisyou/eagle/pdf/morphology.pdf |date=7 February 2012 }}. First Symposium on Steller's and White-tailed Sea Eagles in East Asia pp. 1–10; Ueta, M. & McGrady, M.J. (eds.) Wild Bird Society of Japan

The talons of the Haast's eagle were similar in length to those of the harpy eagle, with a front-left talon length of {{convert|4.9|to|6.15|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}} and a hallux-claw of possibly up to {{convert|11|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}. The Philippine eagle might be a particularly appropriate living species to compare with the Haast's eagle, because it too evolved in an insular environment from smaller ancestors (apparently basal snake eagles) to island gigantism in the absence of large carnivorous mammals and other competing predators.{{cite journal |last1=Lerner |first1=Heather R.L. |last2=Mindell |first2=David P. |title=Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=November 2005 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=327–346 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.010 |pmid=15925523|bibcode=2005MolPE..37..327L }} The eagle's talons are similar to modern eagles, suggesting that it used its talons for hunting and not scavenging.{{Cite web |date=1 December 2021 |title=Haast's Eagle research points to bird being carnivorous predator |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/456971/haast-s-eagle-research-points-to-bird-being-carnivorous-predator |access-date=2 December 2021 |website=Radio New Zealand |language=en-nz |archive-date=2 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202014623/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/456971/haast-s-eagle-research-points-to-bird-being-carnivorous-predator |url-status=live }} The strong legs and massive flight muscles of these eagles would have enabled the birds to take off with a jumping start from the ground, despite their great weight. The tail was almost certainly long, in excess of {{convert|50|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in female specimens, and very broad. This characteristic would compensate for the reduction in wing area by providing additional lift. Total length is estimated to have been up to {{convert|1.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in females, with a standing height of approximately {{convert|90|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} tall or perhaps slightly greater.

Māori cave art depicts the Haast's eagle with a pale head. These Māori rock art drawings can still be found in modern-day South Canterbury near Timaru.{{Cite news |title=Maori rock art sites our cathedrals |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/our-people/107972920/maori-rock-art-sites-our-cathedrals |last=Gerard |first=Hindmarsh |date=20 October 2018 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Stuff |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322102206/https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/our-people/107972920/maori-rock-art-sites-our-cathedrals |url-status=live }} Combined with its vulture-like feeding behaviour, this might suggest it had a bald head, or had shorter feathers on its head than elsewhere on its body.{{Cite journal |last1=van Heteren |first1=A. H. |last2=Wroe |first2=S. |last3=Tsang |first3=L. R. |last4=Mitchell |first4=D. R. |last5=Ross |first5=P. |last6=Ledogar |first6=J. A. |last7=Attard |first7=M. R. G. |author-link7=Marie Attard |last8=Sustaita |first8=D. |last9=Clausen |first9=P. |last10=Scofield |first10=R. P. |last11=Sansalone |first11=G. |date=8 December 2021 |title=New Zealand's extinct giant raptor (Hieraaetus moorei) killed like an eagle, ate like a condor |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=288 |issue=1964 |pages=20211913 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2021.1913 |pmc=8634616 |pmid=34847767 |s2cid=244731381}}

File:Haast's eagle attacking moa at Te Papa.jpg of Haast's eagle attacking a moa]]

The Haast's eagle predominantly preyed on large, flightless bird species, including the moa, which ultimately led to the species' extinction.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Birds of prey – New Zealand's birds of prey |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Hutching |first=Gerard |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/9945/haasts-eagle |access-date=23 March 2024 |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322110355/https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/9945/haasts-eagle |url-status=live }}{{Cite book|title = A Concise History of New Zealand|last = Mein Smith|first = Philippa|publisher = Cambridge University Press|year = 2012|isbn = 978-1107402171|pages = 2, 5–6}} Moa would be up to fifteen times the weight of the eagle. Its large beak also could be used to rip into the internal organs of its prey and death then would have been caused by blood loss. Due to the absence of other large predators or kleptoparasites, a Haast's eagle could easily have monopolised a single large kill over a number of days. Its prey, the moa, could weigh up to {{convert|200|kg|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news |title=What we've just learned about NZ's goliath Haast's eagle |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-weve-just-learned-about-nzs-goliath-haasts-eagle/TTZ6OIGXIGX6PM4BGPKQSJ6RGA/ |last=Morton |first=Jamie |date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119072836/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-weve-just-learned-about-nzs-goliath-haasts-eagle/TTZ6OIGXIGX6PM4BGPKQSJ6RGA/ |archive-date=19 January 2024 |access-date=10 May 2024 |url-status=live |work=The New Zealand Herald }}

A 2021 analysis showed that, while predatory, the bill of the Haast's eagle was functionally closer to that of the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) than to that of other eagles. This is also supported by historic Māori Cave art which depicts the Haast's eagle being pale-headed.{{Cite news |title=Research points to New Zealand's Haast's eagle being bald, vulture-like flesh gulper |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/12/research-points-to-new-zealand-s-haast-s-eagle-being-bald-vulture-like-flesh-gulper.html |last=Brownlie |first=Kaysha |date=12 January 2021 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Newshub |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322104701/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/12/research-points-to-new-zealand-s-haast-s-eagle-being-bald-vulture-like-flesh-gulper.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |title=Extinct Haast's eagle might have been more like a Haast's vulture, study finds |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/127150610/extinct-haasts-eagle-might-have-been-more-like-a-haasts-vulture-study-finds |last=Allot |first=Amber |date=1 December 2021 |access-date=10 May 2024 |work=Stuff |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322092243/https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/127150610/extinct-haasts-eagle-might-have-been-more-like-a-haasts-vulture-study-finds |url-status=live }} It also suggests that it deployed feeding tactics more similar to those of vultures after making a kill, plunging its head into the body cavity to devour the vital organs of its prey. This may have been an adaptation as a result of the bird hunting animals much larger than itself.{{Cite journal |doi= 10.1098/rspb.2021.1913 |title= New Zealand's extinct giant raptor (Hieraaetus moorei) killed like an eagle, ate like a condor |year= 2021 |last1= Van Heteren |first1= A. H. |last2= Wroe |first2= S. |last3= Tsang |first3= L. R. |last4= Mitchell |first4= D. R. |last5= Ross |first5= P. |last6= Ledogar |first6= J. A. |last7= Attard |first7= M. R. G. |last8= Sustaita |first8= D. |last9= Clausen |first9= P. |last10= Scofield |first10= R. P. |last11= Sansalone |first11= G. |journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume= 288 |issue= 1964 |pmid= 34847767 |pmc= 8634616 |s2cid= 244731381}}

Until recent human colonisation that introduced rodents and cats, the only placental land mammals found on the islands of New Zealand were three species of bat.{{Cite journal |title=Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle |journal=PLOS Biology |last1=Bunce |first1=Michael |date=4 January 2004 |last2=Szulkin |first2=Marta |last3=Lerner |first3=Heather R. L |last4=Barnes |first4=Ian |last5=Shapiro |first5=Beth |last6=Cooper |first6=Alan |last7=Holdaway |first7=Richard N|volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=e9 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009 |doi-access=free |pmid=15660162 |pmc=539324 |hdl=2440/37001 |hdl-access=free }}{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Bats in New Zealand |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Meduna |first=Veronika |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/bats/page-1 |access-date=10 May 2024 |date=24 September 2007}} Birds occupied or dominated all major niches in the New Zealand animal ecology. Moa were grazers, functionally similar to large ungulates, such as deer or cattle in other habitats, and Haast's eagles were the hunters who filled the same niche as top-niche mammalian predators.{{Cite news |title=Moa extinction an 'irreplaceable' loss |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9234667/Moa-extinction-an-irreplaceable-loss |last=Daly |first=Michael |date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226025356/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9234667/Moa-extinction-an-irreplaceable-loss |archive-date=26 December 2018 |access-date=10 May 2024 |url-status=live |work=Stuff }}{{Cite news |title=What we've just learned about NZ's goliath Haast's eagle |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-weve-just-learned-about-nzs-goliath-haasts-eagle/TTZ6OIGXIGX6PM4BGPKQSJ6RGA/ |last=Morton |first=Jamie |date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119072836/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-weve-just-learned-about-nzs-goliath-haasts-eagle/TTZ6OIGXIGX6PM4BGPKQSJ6RGA/ |archive-date=19 January 2024 |access-date=10 May 2024 |url-status=live |work=The New Zealand Herald }}

One study estimated the total population of Haast's eagle at 3,000 to 4,500 breeding pairs. Early Māori settlers arrived in New Zealand sometime between AD 1250 and AD 1275,{{cite news|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/478269/new-study-suggests-maori-settlers-arrived-in-aotearoa-as-early-as-13th-century|title=New study suggests Māori settlers arrived in Aotearoa as early as 13th century|work=RNZ |author=Ashleigh McCaull|date=8 November 2022|access-date=8 November 2022|archive-date=7 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107230404/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/478269/new-study-suggests-maori-settlers-arrived-in-aotearoa-as-early-as-13th-century|url-status=live}} The Māori preyed heavily on large flightless birds, including all moa species. The added hunting pressure from the Māori led the moa to extinction by around 1440 to 1445.{{Cite news |title=Humans wiped out moa, the largest bird that ever lived |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/humans-wiped-out-moa-the-largest-bird-that-ever-lived/ntn1wfo7p |date=8 November 2014 |access-date=22 March 2024 |publisher=SBS World News |archive-date=10 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510015858/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/humans-wiped-out-moa-the-largest-bird-that-ever-lived/ntn1wfo7p |url-status=live }} Both eagles and Māori likely competed for the same foods. Unlike the adaptable humans, eagles were dependent on the native medium and large-sized flightless birds, being specialised in hunting them.{{Cite news |title=Oral traditions show that early Māori recognised the extinction of the moa |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/09-09-2018/oral-traditions-show-that-early-maori-recognised-the-extinction-of-the-moa |last1=Wehi |first1=Priscilla |date=9 September 2018 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The Spinoff |last2=Whaanga |first2=Hemi |last3=Cox |first3=Murray |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322095245/https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/09-09-2018/oral-traditions-show-that-early-maori-recognised-the-extinction-of-the-moa |url-status=live }} The loss of its primary prey caused the Haast's eagle to become extinct at about the same time as its prey.{{cite book |last1=Tennyson |first1=A. |last2=Martinson |first2=P. |year=2006 |title=Extinct Birds of New Zealand |publisher=Te Papa Press |location=Wellington, New Zealand |isbn=978-0-909010-21-8}}

Some believe that these birds are described in many legends of the Māori mythology, under the names pouākai, Hakawai (or Hōkioi in the North Island).{{cite news |last=Rodgers |first=Paul |date=14 September 2009 |title=Maori legend of man-eating bird is true |newspaper=The Independent |url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1886061.html |access-date=14 September 2009 |archive-date=22 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922185558/http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1886061.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Ngā manu – birds – Birds' names |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Keane-Tuala |first=Kelly |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/12176/te-hokioi |access-date=23 March 2024 |date=24 September 2007 |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322222034/https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/12176/te-hokioi |url-status=live }} According to an account given to Sir George Grey—an early governor of New Zealand—Hōkioi were huge black-and-white birds with yellow-green tinged wings and a red crest. In Māori mythology, Pouākai would prey on and kill humans along with moa,{{Cite news |title=This Extinct Eagle May Have Gulped Guts Like a Vulture |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/science/haasts-eagle-vulture-new-zealand.html |last=Imbler |first=Sabrina |date=30 November 2021 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322101045/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/science/haasts-eagle-vulture-new-zealand.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Grey, George |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1g21/grey-george |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Sinclair |first=Keith |year=1990 |access-date=22 March 2024 |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210070011/https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1g21/grey-george |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Rodgers |first=Paul |date=14 September 2009 |title=Maori legend of man-eating bird is true |newspaper=The Independent |url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1886061.html |access-date=22 March 2024 |archive-date=20 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220124600/http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1886061.html |url-status=live }} which scientists believe could have been possible if the name relates to the eagle, given the massive size and strength of the bird.{{Cite news |title=The man – killer that came from the sky |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/lifestyle/2522035/The-man-killer-that-came-from-the-sky |last=O'Connor |first=Tom |date=28 July 2009 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Taranaki Daily News |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322093601/https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/lifestyle/2522035/The-man-killer-that-came-from-the-sky |url-status=live }} However, it has also been argued that the "hakawai" and "hōkioi" legends refer to the Austral snipe—in particular the extinct South Island species.{{cite journal |last=Miskelly |first=C. M. |year=1987 |title=The identity of the hakawai |journal=Notornis |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=95–116 |url=https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_34_2.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_34_2.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live}}

File:Macraes Haasts Eagle Sculpture 001.JPG

Artwork depicting Haast's eagle now may be viewed at OceanaGold's Heritage and Art Park at Macraes, Otago, New Zealand.{{Cite news |title=The Haast Eagle has landed |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/haast-eagle-has-landed |date=19 December 2008 |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=The Otago Daily Times |archive-date=10 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510015934/https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/haast-eagle-has-landed |url-status=live }} The sculpture, weighing approximately {{convert|750|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, standing {{convert|7.5|m|ft}} tall, and depicted with a wingspan of {{convert|11.5|m|ft}} is constructed from stainless steel tube and sheet and was designed and constructed by Mark Hill, a sculptor from Arrowtown, New Zealand.{{cite web |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/Giant-art-sculptures-pop-up-in-Otago/tabid/372/articleID/85193/cat/58/Default.aspx#video |title=Giant art sculptures pop up in Otago |publisher=3 News |location=New Zealand |quote=Lifestyle – Video on Demand |date=20 December 2008 |access-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518001440/http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/Giant-art-sculptures-pop-up-in-Otago/tabid/372/articleID/85193/cat/58/Default.aspx#video |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead}} [http://www.3news.co.nz/Giant-art-sculptures-pop-up-in-Otago/tabid/420/articleID/85193/cat/58/Default.aspx text version] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324080320/http://www.3news.co.nz/Giant-art-sculptures-pop-up-in-Otago/tabid/420/articleID/85193/cat/58/Default.aspx |date=24 March 2012}} The Haast's eagle also appeared in a 2003 BBC documentary Monsters We Met.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/tv_radio/monsterswemet/series1.shtml |title=Monsters We Met – About the series |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060306225829/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/tv_radio/monsterswemet/series1.shtml |archive-date=6 March 2006 |url-status=live}}

There is also a statue depicting the Haast's eagle in Karamea, West Coast. This statue was unveiled by the community and the Ngāti Waewae iwi.{{Cite news |title=Hokioi statue revives ancestral connection |url=https://waateanews.com/2020/02/24/hokioi-statue-revives-ancestral-connection/ |date=24 February 2020 |access-date=23 March 2024 |work=Waetea News |archive-date=23 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723223307/https://waateanews.com/2020/02/24/hokioi-statue-revives-ancestral-connection/ |url-status=live }}

• Island gigantism
• Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

{{reflist}}

{{Wikispecies|Harpagornis moorei}}

{{Commons category|Hieraaetus moorei}}

• {{cite web |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=710939&coltype=art®no=2006-0010-1/%2037 |title=Haast's Eagle. Harpagornis moorei |first=Paul |last=Martinson |quote=Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand by Alan Tennyson |publisher=Te Papa Press |location=Wellington |year=2006 |access-date=6 May 2022 |archive-date=17 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017221727/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=710939&coltype=art®no=2006-0010-1%2F%2037 |url-status=dead}}
• [https://www.wingspan.co.nz/extinct_birds_of_prey_new_zealand_haasts_eagle.html Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust]
• {{cite web |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=364178 |title=Harpagornis Moorei |publisher=Museum of New Zealand |location=Te Papa Tongarewa}}

{{Buteoninae}}

{{Birds of New Zealand}}

{{portal bar|Paleontology|Birds|New Zealand}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q243451}}

Category:Apex predators

Category:Birds described in 1872

Category:Buteoninae

Category:Eagles

Category:Extinct birds of New Zealand

Category:Hieraaetus

Category:Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Category:Holocene extinctions

Category:Pleistocene first appearances

Category:Species made extinct by human activities

Category:Taxa named by Julius von Haast

Category:Fossil taxa described in 1872