Today, we wrap up our series of extinct birds of the week with our final installment, none other than the Haast Eagle. This behemoth of a bird, like last week's Moa, was native to New Zealand before going extinct around the year 1400. There are many theories regarding how they went extinct. It was likely a combination of factors, including the immediate preceding extinction of the Moa, which were the Haast Eagles' primary prey. Yes, the 12 foot 500 pound Moa were prey to this enormous eagle.
So just how big were these raptors? Like the Moa, females were generally larger, weighing in at 10-15 kg, while the smaller males were 9-12 kg. Their wingspan was between 2.6 and 3 meters, or nearly 8.5 to 10 feet.
When hunting, the Haast's Eagle would attack a Moa by swooping down at speeds of roughly 80 mph, giving it a striking force equivalent to a cinder block dropped from an eight story building.
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