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Story: Birds of prey

Haast’s eagle

As shown in this reconstruction, Haast’s eagle preyed on moa and other large birds. The world’s largest eagle, it became extinct after its main prey had been hunted to extinction. Its 3-metre wingspan was relatively short for a 12–13-kilogram eagle, but longer wings would have made flying in the forest difficult.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Birds of prey – New Zealand’s birds of prey, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/9945/haasts-eagle (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

David
14 August 2012
The Woodward's Eagle (Amplibuteo woodwardi) is an extinct species of Eagle that had lived in North America and the Caribbean during the Late Pleistocene. They are about the same size with Haast's eagle The total length of the species is 125.6-140.2 cm, (1.4 meter) as well as other measurements.