Haast’s eagle was the largest known eagle and lived in New Zealand until about 1400. It was much larger than any living eagle, with females estimated to weigh up to about 15 kilograms and wingspans reaching roughly 3 metres.
The eagle evolved in New Zealand from a smaller ancestor after arriving from Australia. Its great size was an example of island gigantism, probably enabled by the abundance of large flightless birds, especially moa. Haast’s eagles likely hunted moa and may have attacked animals weighing several times more than themselves.
Māori traditions preserve memories of a giant man-eating bird called Pouākai, which researchers have associated with Haast’s eagle. The species disappeared after humans arrived and moa populations collapsed. It is sometimes incorrectly described as merely the largest living eagle; it is extinct.