AI overview
Haast's Eagle was a massive extinct eagle that lived in New Zealand and was one of the largest eagles ever known to exist. It matters because studying this remarkable bird helps us understand how giant predators once hunted and survived in environments very different from today.
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Article
Haast's eagle (Hieraaetus moorei), sometimes known as Fuller's eagle, is an extinct species of eagle that lived in the South Island of New Zealand, commonly accepted to be the pouākai of Māori mythology. It is the largest eagle known to have existed, with an estimated weight of 10–18 kilograms (22–40 pounds), compared to the next-largest and extant harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), at up to 9 kg (20 lb). Its massive size is explained as an evolutionary response to the size of its primary prey—the flightless moa—the largest of which could weigh 200 kg (440 lb). Haast's eagle became extinct around 1445, following the arrival of the Māori, who hunted moa to extinction, introduced the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), and destroyed large tracts of forest by fire.
Taxonomy