Editing Haast's eagle (section)

==Extinction==
Until recent human colonisation that introduced rodents and cats, the only [[placental]] land [[mammal]]s found on the islands of New Zealand were three species of [[bat]].<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> Birds occupied or dominated all major [[ecological niche|niche]]s in the New Zealand animal [[ecology]]. Moa were grazers, functionally similar to large [[ungulate]]s, such as [[deer]] or [[cattle]] in other habitats, and Haast's eagles were the hunters who filled the same niche as [[Apex predator|top-niche]] [[Carnivora|mammalian predators]].<ref>{{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 (website)|Stuff]] }}</ref><ref>{{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]] }}</ref>

One study estimated the total population of Haast's eagle at 3,000 to 4,500 breeding pairs.<ref name="NZGeo"/> Early [[Māori people|Māori]] settlers arrived in New Zealand sometime between AD&nbsp;1250 and AD&nbsp;1275,<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Both eagles and Māori likely [[Competition (biology)|competed]] for the same foods.<ref name=":2" /> Unlike the adaptable humans, eagles were dependent on the native medium and large-sized flightless birds, being [[Specialization (biology)|specialized]] in hunting them.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> The loss of its primary prey caused the Haast's eagle to become extinct at about the same time as its prey.<ref name=":2">{{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}}</ref>