Aquila moorei (Haast, 1872)
Haast's eagle, New Zealand eagle, Te Hōkioi (cryptid), Hokioi (cryptid)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Hieraaetus moorei Haast, 1872; Harpagornis moorei Haast, 1872; Haliaeetus moorei Haast, 1872; Harpagornis assimilis Haast, 1874:62
Treated under Aquila per (Checklist Committee, 2010; Seersholm et al., 2018). Harpagornis assimilis was formally synonymised with A. moorei (then H. moorei) by (Holdaway, 1990).
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: after 1300 AD
Holdaway (2021) briefly discussed the remote possibility that the species survived into the 19th century.
Distribution
South Island, New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Haast's eagle is the largest known eagle to ever live. With a wingspan of 2.6-3m and a weight of up to 15kg in females, it was considerably larger than the Harpy eagle, the largest living eagle. It is believed to have preyed upon Moas.
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Haast, J. (1872). Notes on Harpagornis moorei, an extinct gigantic bird of prey, containing descriptions of femur, ungual phalanges and rib. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 4: 192-196.
Other references:
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Braithwaite, D. H. and R.N. Holdaway. (1987). A preliminary reconstruction of Harpagornis moorei: Top predator in the moa’s world. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 10: 162.
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https://twilightbeasts.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/disappearing-into-the-heavens/
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/nz-s-largest-predator-painstakingly-recreated-600-years-after-extinction