Haast's eagle (Hieraaetus moorei) is an extinct species of eagle that lived in the South Island of New Zealand, commonly accepted to be the pouākai of Māori mythology.[2] 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).[3] Its massive size is explained as an evolutionary response to the size of its 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.[4]

Haast's eagle
Temporal range: Pleistocene to Late Holocene
Skull at the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch

Extinct (~1400) (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Hieraaetus
Species:
H. moorei
Binomial name
Hieraaetus moorei
(Haast, 1872)
Synonyms
  • Aquila moorei Haast, 1872
  • Harpagornis moorei Haast, 1872

Taxonomy

edit

Haast's eagle was first scientifically described by Julius von Haast in 1871 from remains discovered by the Canterbury Museum taxidermist, Frederick Richardson Fuller,[5][6][7] in a former marsh.[8] Haast named the eagle Harpagornis moorei after George Henry Moore, the owner of the Glenmark Estate, where the bones of the bird were found.[9] The genus name was from the Greek harpax, meaning "grappling hook", and ornis, meaning "bird".[10] 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).[11][12] Harpagornis moorei was therefore reclassified as Hieraaetus moorei.[10]

H. moorei is estimated to have diverged from these smaller eagles as recently as 1.8 million to 700,000 years ago.[13] If this estimate is correct, its increase in weight by ten to fifteen times is an exceptionally rapid weight increase.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] 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 million years ago.[17][3] It was placed in the genus Aquila by recent taxonomists.[18]

Description

edit
 
Haast's eagle attacking moa by John Megahan

Haast's eagle was one of the largest known true raptors.[19] In length and weight, it was even larger than the largest living vulture (the Andean condor).[20] 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,[21] rivaled the Haast's in at least the aspect of total length.[22] Female eagles were larger than males.[23] Most estimates place the female Haast's eagles in the range of 10–18 kg (22–40 lb) and males around 9–12 kg (20–26 lb).[24][25] A comparison with living eagles of the Australasian region resulted in estimated masses in Haast's eagles of 11.5 kg (25 lb) for males and 14 kg (31 lb) for females.[24] One source estimates that the largest females could have weighed more than 16.5 kg (36 lb).[26] The largest extant eagles, none of which are verified to exceed 9 kg (20 lb) in a wild state, are about forty percent smaller in body size than Haast's eagles.[27]

 
Foot bones of Haast's eagle (top) and those of its 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 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in), possibly up to 3 m (10 ft) in a few cases.[28][29] This wingspan is broadly similar to the larger range of female size in some 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 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in wingspan. Several of the largest extant Old World vultures, if not in mean mass or other linear measurements, probably exceed Haast's eagle in average wingspan as well.[27][30] Haast's eagle's relatively short wingspan has sometimes led it to being incorrectly portrayed as having evolved toward flightlessness, even though evidence strongly suggests that it flew.[31] Instead, its short and broad wings represents an evolutionary departure from the mode of its ancestors' soaring flight in favour of navigating through a crowded woodland environment. Haast's eagles are likely to have hunted within the dense shrubland and forests of New Zealand, somewhat akin to other forest-dwelling raptors like the goshawks or harpy eagle.[32]

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.[27] A lower mandible from the Haast's eagle measured 11.4 cm (4+12 in) and the tarsus in several Haast's eagle fossils has been measured from 13.7 to 16.2 cm (5+38 to 6+38 in).[33] In comparison, the largest beaks of eagles today (from the Philippine and the Steller's sea eagle) reach a little more than 7 cm (3 in); and the longest tarsal measurements (from the Philippine and the Papuan eagle, Harpyopsis novaeguineae) top out around 14 cm (5+12 in).[30][34]

The talons of the Haast's eagle were similar in length to those of the harpy eagle, with a front-left talon length of 4.9 to 6.15 cm (1+1516 to 2+716 in) and a hallux-claw of possibly up to 11 cm (4+12 in).[26] 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 snake eagles) to island gigantism in the absence of large carnivorous mammals and other competing predators.[35] The eagle's talons are similar to modern eagles, suggesting that it used its talons for hunting and not scavenging.[36] 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.[19] The tail was almost certainly long, in excess of 50 cm (20 in) in female specimens, and very broad. This characteristic would compensate for the reduction in wing area by providing additional lift.[24] Total length is estimated to have been up to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) in females, with a standing height of approximately 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) tall or perhaps slightly greater.[26]

Māori 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.[37] 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.[38]

Behaviour and ecology

edit
 
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.[39][40] Moa would be up to fifteen times the weight of the eagle.[24] 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.[19] Due to the absence of other large predators or kleptoparasites, a Haast's eagle could easily have monopolised a single large kill over a number of days.[2] Its prey, the moa, could weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb).[41]

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.[42][43] 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.[44]

Extinction

edit

Until recent human colonisation that introduced rodents and cats, the only placental land mammals found on the islands of New Zealand were three species of bat.[45][46] Birds occupied or dominated all major niches in the New Zealand animal ecology. Moa were grazers, functionally similar to large ungulates, such as deer or cattle in other habitats, and Haast's eagles were the hunters who filled the same niche as top-niche mammalian predators.[47][48]

One study estimated the total population of Haast's eagle at 3,000 to 4,500 breeding pairs.[10] Early Māori settlers arrived in New Zealand sometime between AD 1250 and AD 1275,[49] The Māori preyed heavily on large flightless birds, including all moa species. The hunting pressure from both the Māori and the eagle eventually led the moa to extinction by around 1440 to 1445.[4][50] Both eagles and Māori likely competed for the same foods.[19] Unlike the adaptable humans, eagles were dependent on the native medium and large-sized flightless birds, being specialized in hunting them.[51] The loss of its primary prey caused the Haast's eagle to become extinct at about the same time as its prey.[19]

Relationship with humans

edit

Some believe that these birds are described in many legends of the Māori mythology, under the names pouākai, Hakawai (or Hōkioi in the North Island).[52][53] 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 wings and a red crest. In Māori mythology, Pouākai would prey and kill humans along with moa,[54][55][56] which scientists believe could have been possible if the name relates to the eagle, given the massive size and strength of the bird.[52][57] However, it has also been argued that the "hakawai" and "hōkioi" legends refer to the Austral snipe—in particular the extinct South Island species.[58]

edit
 
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, Otago, New Zealand.[59] The sculpture, weighing approximately 750 kg (1,650 lb), standing 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall, and depicted with a wingspan of 11.5 metres (38 ft) is constructed from stainless steel tube and sheet and was designed and constructed by Mark Hill, a sculptor from Arrowtown, New Zealand.[60] The Haast's eagle also appeared in a 2003 BBC documentary Monsters We Met.[61]

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.[62]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Aquila moorei". nztcs.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Giant eagle (Aquila moorei), Haast's eagle, or Pouakai Archived 22 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
  3. ^ a b Knapp, Michael; Thomas, Jessica E.; Haile, James; Prost, Stefan; Ho, Simon Y.W.; Dussex, Nicolas; Cameron-Christie, Sophia; Kardailsky, Olga; Barnett, Ross; Bunce, Michael; Gilbert, M. Thomas P. (May 2019). "Mitogenomic evidence of close relationships between New Zealand's extinct giant raptors and small-sized Australian sister-taxa". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 134: 122–128. Bibcode:2019MolPE.134..122K. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.01.026. PMID 30753886. S2CID 73420145.
  4. ^ a b Perry, George L.W.; Wheeler, Andrew B.; Wood, Jamie R.; Wilmshurst, Janet M. (1 December 2014). "A high-precision chronology for the rapid extinction of New Zealand moa (Aves, Dinornithiformes)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 105: 126–135. Bibcode:2014QSRv..105..126P. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.025.
  5. ^ "Extinct Birds Series; Part Two; Haast's Eagle". The Press. Christchurch, New Zealand. 9 December 2008. ISSN 0113-9762.
  6. ^ "Pouākai – The world's largest eagle". Radio New Zealand. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  7. ^ Holdaway, Richard (October–December 1989). "Terror Of The Forest". Notornis (4). New Zealand Geographic. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  8. ^ Tudge, Colin (6 August 2009). The Secret Life of Birds: Who they are and what they do. Penguin Books Limited. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-14-196210-8. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  9. ^ Haast, Julius (1872). "Notes on Harpagornis Moorei, an Extinct Gigantic Bird of Prey, containing Discussion of Femur, Ungual Phalanges and Rib". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 4: 193–196. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Evans, Kate (November 2018). "Return of the Lost Birds". New Zealand Geographic (154): 30. ISSN 0113-9967. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  11. ^ Allot, Amber (1 December 2021). "Extinct Haast's eagle might have been more like a Haast's vulture, study finds". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  12. ^ Bunce, M.; Szulkin, Marta; Lerner, Heather R. L.; Barnes, Ian; Shapiro, Beth; Cooper, Alan; Holdaway, Richard N. (2005). "Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle". PLOS Biology. 3 (1): e9. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009. PMC 539324. PMID 15660162.
  13. ^ Fountain, Henry (4 January 2005). "Observatory: [Science Desk]". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  14. ^ Bunce, Michael (13 January 2005). "Haast's eagle only became giant in the move to New Zealand, DNA tests show". National Post. Canada, Don Mills. ISSN 1486-8008.
  15. ^ Miranda, Everton B P; Menezes, Jorge F S; Farias, Camila C L; Munn, Charles (2019). "Species distribution modeling reveals strongholds and potential reintroduction areas for the world's largest eagle". PLOS One. 14 (5). San Francisco, United States: e0216323. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1416323M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0216323. eISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6513255. PMID 31083656.
  16. ^ "Ancient DNA Tells Story of Giant Eagle Evolution". PLOS Biology. 3 (1): e20. 4 January 2005. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030020. PMC 539337.
  17. ^ Upholt, Boyce (12 September 2022). "How a Giant Eagle Once Came to Dominate New Zealand". Smithsonian . Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  18. ^ Rodgers, Paul (14 September 2009). "Maori legend of man-eating bird is true". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e Tennyson, A.; Martinson, P. (2006). Extinct Birds of New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. ISBN 978-0-909010-21-8.
  20. ^ Imbler, Sabrina (30 November 2021). "This Extinct Eagle May Have Gulped Guts Like a Vulture". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  21. ^ Suarez, William (2004). "The Identity of the Fossil Raptor of the Genus Amplibuteo (Aves: Accipitridae) from the Quaternary of Cuba". Caribbean Journal of Science. 40 (1): 120–125. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  22. ^ Suarez, W. (2004). "The identity of the fossil raptor of the genus Amplibuteo (Aves: Accipitridae) from the Quaternary of Cuba" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 40 (1): 120–125. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  23. ^ O'Connor, Tom (28 July 2009). "The man – killer that came from the sky". Taranaki Daily News. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d Brathwaite, D. H. (December 1992). "Notes on the weight, flying ability, habitat, and prey of Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei)" (PDF). Notornis. 39 (4). Ornithological Society of New Zealand: 239–247. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  25. ^ Rodgers, Paul (14 September 2009). "Maori legend of man-eating bird is true". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b c Worthy, T. & Holdaway, R., The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric Life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press (2003), ISBN 978-0253340344
  27. ^ a b c Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Guinness. ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.
  28. ^ Maas, P. "Recently Extinct Animals – Species Info – Haast's Eagle". The Sixth Extinction. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  29. ^ "Haast's Eagle". Paleobiology and Biodiversity Research Group. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  30. ^ a b Ferguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
  31. ^ "Extinct Bird Series; Part Two; Haast's Eagle". The Press. Christchurch, New Zealand. 29 December 2008. ISSN 0113-9762.
  32. ^ "Haast's eagle, New Zealand giant eagle". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  33. ^ Hamilton, A. (1888). "On Avian Remains in Southland". Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.
  34. ^ Ladyguin, Alexander (2000). The morphology of the bill apparatus in the Steller's Sea Eagle Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. 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
  35. ^ Lerner, Heather R.L.; Mindell, David P. (November 2005). "Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (2): 327–346. Bibcode:2005MolPE..37..327L. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.010. PMID 15925523.
  36. ^ "Haast's Eagle research points to bird being carnivorous predator". Radio New Zealand. 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  37. ^ Gerard, Hindmarsh (20 October 2018). "Maori rock art sites our cathedrals". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  38. ^ van Heteren, A. H.; Wroe, S.; Tsang, L. R.; Mitchell, D. R.; Ross, P.; Ledogar, J. A.; Attard, M. R. G.; Sustaita, D.; Clausen, P.; Scofield, R. P.; Sansalone, G. (8 December 2021). "New Zealand's extinct giant raptor (Hieraaetus moorei) killed like an eagle, ate like a condor". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288 (1964): 20211913. doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.1913. PMC 8634616. PMID 34847767. S2CID 244731381.
  39. ^ Hutching, Gerard. "Birds of prey – New Zealand's birds of prey". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  40. ^ Mein Smith, Philippa (2012). A Concise History of New Zealand. Cambridge University Press. pp. 2, 5–6. ISBN 978-1107402171.
  41. ^ Morton, Jamie (1 December 2021). "What we've just learned about NZ's goliath Haast's eagle". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  42. ^ Brownlie, Kaysha (12 January 2021). "Research points to New Zealand's Haast's eagle being bald, vulture-like flesh gulper". Newshub. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  43. ^ Allot, Amber (1 December 2021). "Extinct Haast's eagle might have been more like a Haast's vulture, study finds". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  44. ^ Van Heteren, A. H.; Wroe, S.; Tsang, L. R.; Mitchell, D. R.; Ross, P.; Ledogar, J. A.; Attard, M. R. G.; Sustaita, D.; Clausen, P.; Scofield, R. P.; Sansalone, G. (2021). "New Zealand's extinct giant raptor (Hieraaetus moorei) killed like an eagle, ate like a condor". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288 (1964). doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.1913. PMC 8634616. PMID 34847767. S2CID 244731381.
  45. ^ Bunce, Michael; Szulkin, Marta; Lerner, Heather R. L; Barnes, Ian; Shapiro, Beth; Cooper, Alan; Holdaway, Richard N (4 January 2004). "Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle". PLOS Biology. 3 (1): e9. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009. hdl:2440/37001. PMC 539324. PMID 15660162.
  46. ^ Meduna, Veronika (24 September 2007). "Bats in New Zealand". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  47. ^ Daly, Michael (2 October 2013). "Moa extinction an 'irreplaceable' loss". Stuff. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  48. ^ Morton, Jamie (1 December 2021). "What we've just learned about NZ's goliath Haast's eagle". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  49. ^ Ashleigh McCaull (8 November 2022). "New study suggests Māori settlers arrived in Aotearoa as early as 13th century". RNZ. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  50. ^ "Humans wiped out moa, the largest bird that ever lived". SBS World News. 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  51. ^ Wehi, Priscilla; Whaanga, Hemi; Cox, Murray (9 September 2018). "Oral traditions show that early Māori recognised the extinction of the moa". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  52. ^ a b Rodgers, Paul (14 September 2009). "Maori legend of man-eating bird is true". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  53. ^ Keane-Tuala, Kelly (24 September 2007). "Ngā manu – birds – Birds' names". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  54. ^ Imbler, Sabrina (30 November 2021). "This Extinct Eagle May Have Gulped Guts Like a Vulture". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  55. ^ Sinclair, Keith (1990). "Grey, George". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  56. ^ Rodgers, Paul (14 September 2009). "Maori legend of man-eating bird is true". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  57. ^ O'Connor, Tom (28 July 2009). "The man – killer that came from the sky". Taranaki Daily News. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  58. ^ Miskelly, C. M. (1987). "The identity of the hakawai" (PDF). Notornis. 34 (2): 95–116. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  59. ^ "The Haast Eagle has landed". The Otago Daily Times. 19 December 2008. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  60. ^ "Giant art sculptures pop up in Otago". New Zealand: 3 News. 20 December 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2009. Lifestyle – Video on Demand text version Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  61. ^ "Monsters We Met – About the series". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 March 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  62. ^ "Hokioi statue revives ancestral connection". Waetea News. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
edit