Haast's Eagle

extinct · New Zealand · giant hunter · birds of prey

Absolute giant. Haast's eagle was the biggest eagle that ever lived, weighing 10 to 18 kilograms, which is much heavier than today's largest eagles. Even the powerful harpy eagle, the biggest eagle alive today, only weighs up to 9 kilograms.

Built for moa. This massive eagle evolved its huge size to hunt enormous flightless birds called moa that lived in New Zealand. Some moa weighed up to 200 kilograms, so the eagle needed to be powerfully built to catch such gigantic prey.

Island giant. Haast's eagle soared only over the South Island of New Zealand, where it ruled the skies for thousands of years. It is remembered in Māori mythology as the pouākai, a legendary bird creature from ancient stories.

Disappeared mysteriously. Around 1445, Haast's eagle vanished completely when Māori people arrived in New Zealand. The hunters killed the moa for food, brought rats that destroyed eggs, and burned forests, leaving the great eagle with nothing to eat.

Legendary creature. For centuries, Māori stories described the pouākai as a fearsome sky monster, and scientists now realize these ancient tales were based on memories of the real Haast's eagle that once actually existed.