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Haast Eagle by Ayomi

The Haast’s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei) is an extinct species of eagle that once lived in the South Island of New Zealand, commonly accepted to be the pouakai of Maori legend.[1] It was the largest eagle known to have existed, with an estimated weight of 15 kilograms (33 lb) nearly double that of the harpy eagle at 9 kilograms (20 lb).[2] Its massive size is explained as an evolutionary response to the size of its prey, the flightless moa, the largest of which could weigh 230 kg (510 lb).[3] Haast’s eagle became extinct around 1400, after the moa were hunted to extinction by the first Māori.