Editing Haast's eagle

{{Short description|Extinct species of bird}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
 |name= Haast's eagle
 |fossil_range= [[Pleistocene]] to Late [[Holocene]]
 |image= Canterbury Museum, Christchurch - Joy of Museums - Haast's Eagle.jpg
 |image_caption= Skull at the [[Canterbury Museum, Christchurch]]
 |status= EX
 |status_system= NZTCS
 |status_ref=<ref>{{cite web |title=''Aquila moorei'' |url=https://nztcs.org.nz/assessments/119020 |website=nztcs.org.nz |access-date=21 July 2023 |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720214753/https://nztcs.org.nz/assessments/119020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 |extinct= ~1400
 |genus= Hieraaetus
 |species= moorei
 |authority= ([[Julius von Haast|Haast]], 1872)
 |synonyms= *''Aquila moorei'' <small>Haast, 1872</small>
*''Harpagornis moorei'' <small>Haast, 1872</small>
}}

'''Haast's eagle''' ('''''Hieraaetus moorei''''') is an [[Extinction|extinct]] species of [[eagle]] that lived in the [[South Island]] of [[New Zealand]], commonly accepted to be the {{lang|mi|[[pouākai]]}} of [[Māori mythology]].<ref name="collections.tepapa.govt.nz">[http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/theme.aspx?irn=1360 Giant eagle (''Aquila moorei''), Haast's eagle, or Pouakai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522065905/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Theme.aspx?irn=1360 |date=22 May 2010 }}. Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 27 October 2010.</ref> It is the largest eagle known to have existed, with an estimated weight of {{Convert|10–18|kg|lb|abbr=off}}, compared to the next-largest and extant [[harpy eagle]] (''Harpia harpyja''), at up to {{Convert|9|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":1" /> Its massive size is explained as an evolutionary response to the size of its [[prey]]—the flightless [[moa]]—the largest of which could weigh {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Haast's eagle became extinct around 1445, following the [[Māori history#Settlement of New Zealand|arrival of the Māori]], who hunted moa to extinction, introduced the [[Polynesian rat]] (''Rattus exulans''), and destroyed large tracts of forest by fire.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Perry |first1=George L.W. |last2=Wheeler |first2=Andrew B. |last3=Wood |first3=Jamie R. |last4=Wilmshurst |first4=Janet M. |author-link4=Janet Wilmshurst |date=1 December 2014 |title=A high-precision chronology for the rapid extinction of New Zealand moa (Aves, Dinornithiformes) |journal=[[Quaternary Science Reviews]] |volume=105 |pages=126–135 |bibcode=2014QSRv..105..126P |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.025}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
Haast's eagle was first scientifically described by [[Julius von Haast]] in 1871 from remains discovered by the [[Canterbury Museum, Christchurch|Canterbury Museum]] taxidermist, Frederick Richardson Fuller,<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> in a former marsh.<ref name="Tudge2009">{{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 }}</ref> Haast named the eagle ''Harpagornis moorei'' after [[George Henry Moore (runholder) |George Henry Moore]], the owner of the Glenmark Estate, where the bones of the bird were found.<ref name="Institute1872">{{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 }}</ref> The genus name was from the Greek ''[[harpax]]'', meaning "grappling hook", and ''ornis'', meaning "bird".<ref name="NZGeo">{{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 }}</ref> [[Genetic fingerprinting|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'').<ref>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref><ref name="Bunce">{{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}}</ref> ''Harpagornis moorei'' was therefore reclassified as ''Hieraaetus moorei''.<ref name=NZGeo/>

''H. moorei'' is estimated to have diverged from these smaller eagles as recently as 1.8&nbsp;million to 700,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Observatory: [Science Desk] |last=Fountain |first=Henry |date=4 January 2005 |work=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> If this estimate is correct, its increase in weight by ten to fifteen times is an exceptionally rapid weight increase.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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]].<ref name="PLOSBiology">{{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}}</ref> 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&nbsp;million years ago.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=How a Giant Eagle Once Came to Dominate New Zealand |date=12 September 2022 |magazine=[[Smithsonian (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 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{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}}</ref> It was placed in the genus ''[[Aquila (bird)|Aquila]]'' by recent taxonomists.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Giant Haasts eagle attacking New Zealand moa.jpg|thumb|Haast's eagle attacking moa by John Megahan]]

Haast's eagle was one of the largest known true [[Accipitriformes|raptors]].<ref name=":2" /> In length and weight, it was even larger than the largest living [[vulture]] (the [[Andean condor]]).<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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,<ref name="suarez">{{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}}</ref> rivaled the Haast's in at least the aspect of total length.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Female eagles were larger than males.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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}}.<ref name=Brathwaite>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Brathwaite/> One source estimates that the largest females could have weighed more than {{convert|16.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Worthy>Worthy, T. & Holdaway, R., ''The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric Life of New Zealand''. Indiana University Press (2003), {{ISBN|978-0253340344}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Wood">{{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}}</ref>

[[File:Harpagornis claw vs eagle.png|thumb|Foot bones of Haast's eagle (top) and those of its [[common descent|closest living relative]], 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> This wingspan is broadly similar to the larger range of female size in some [[Extant taxon|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 vulture]]s, if not in mean mass or other linear measurements, probably exceed Haast's eagle in average wingspan as well.<ref name= "Wood"/><ref name=RaptorsWorld>{{cite book |year=2001 |title=Raptors of the World |publisher=[[Helm Identification Guides|Christopher Helm]] |location=London |isbn=0-7136-8026-1 |author1=Ferguson-Lees, J. |author2=Christie, D.}}</ref> Haast's eagle's relatively short wingspan has sometimes led to it being incorrectly portrayed as having evolved toward [[Flightless bird |flightlessness]], even though evidence strongly suggests that it flew.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Instead, its short and broad wings represents an evolutionary departure from the mode of its ancestors' [[Bird flight |soaring flight]] in favour of navigating through a crowded woodland environment. Haast's eagles are likely to have hunted within the dense [[shrubland]] and [[forest]]s of New Zealand, somewhat akin to other forest-dwelling [[bird of prey|raptor]]s like the [[goshawk]]s or [[harpy eagle]].<ref name="BBCFactFiles">{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref name= "Wood"/> A lower mandible from the Haast's eagle measured {{convert|11.4|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}} and the [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] in several Haast's eagle fossils has been measured from {{convert|13.7|to|16.2|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=A. |year=1888 |title=On Avian Remains in Southland |journal=Transactions of the New Zealand Institute}}</ref> 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}}.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref>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</ref>

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 [[claw|hallux-claw]] of possibly up to {{convert|11|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Worthy/> 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 [[Circaetinae|snake eagles]]) to island gigantism in the absence of large [[carnivorous]] mammals and other competing predators.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> The eagle's talons are similar to modern eagles, suggesting that it used its talons for hunting and not scavenging.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /> 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 (physics)|lift]].<ref name=Brathwaite/> 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.<ref name= Worthy/>

Māori [[Cave painting|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]].<ref>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology==

[[File:Haast's eagle attacking moa at Te Papa.jpg|thumb|upright|Model at [[Te Papa]] 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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> Moa would be up to fifteen times the weight of the eagle.<ref name=Brathwaite/> 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.<ref name=":2" /> Due to the absence of other large predators or [[kleptoparasite]]s, a Haast's eagle could easily have monopolised a single large kill over a number of days.<ref name="collections.tepapa.govt.nz" />  Its prey, the moa, could weigh up to {{convert|200|kg|abbr=on}}.<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>

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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==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>

==Relationship with humans==

Some believe that these birds are described in many legends of the [[Māori mythology]], under the names ''[[pouākai]]'', ''[[Hakawai (mythology)|Hakawai]]'' (or ''[[Hakawai (mythology)|Hōkioi]]'' in the [[North Island]]).<ref name="rodgers">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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 [[wing]]s and a red [[Crest (feathers)|crest]]. In Māori mythology, Pouākai would prey on and kill humans along with moa,<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> which scientists believe could have been possible if the name relates to the eagle, given the massive size and strength of the bird.<ref name=rodgers/><ref>{{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 }}</ref> However, it has also been argued that the "''hakawai''" and "''hōkioi''" legends refer to the [[Austral snipe]]—in particular the extinct South Island species.<ref name="Miskelly">{{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}}</ref>

== In popular culture==
[[File:Macraes Haasts Eagle Sculpture 001.JPG|thumb|A Haast's eagle statue on Macraes Flat]]
Artwork depicting Haast's eagle now may be viewed at [[OceanaGold]]'s Heritage and Art Park at [[Macraes Mine|Macraes]], [[Otago]], New Zealand.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> The Haast's eagle also appeared in a 2003 BBC documentary ''[[Monsters We Met]]''.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Island gigantism]]
*[[Late Quaternary prehistoric birds]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Harpagornis moorei}}
{{Commons category|Hieraaetus moorei}}
* {{cite web |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=710939&coltype=art&regno=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&regno=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]]