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Description
With a wingspan measuring a colossal three meters, this giant raptor was the top predator of New Zealand.

This massive bird of prey was twice the weight of today's largest eagle. With talons the size of a tiger's claws, and a flight speed of 80 kilometres per hour, the Haast Eagle struck fear into the hearts and souls of the Maori people.

Harpagornis was the largest bird of prey the world has ever seen, second only to Argentavis of South America. With it's immense strength and large size, this areal predator was specialized for hunting large two-legged prey, including humans. The Haast Eagle was the most feared creature by the Maoris, so much so, that it had earned a place in their folklore and legends, and was given tree different names: Pouakai, Hokioi, and Hakawai.

Soon after it's main prey, the moas, were eventually hunted to extinction by the Maoris after their arrival on the New Zealand islands, the numbers of the Haast Eagle plummeted disastrously, leading to the extinction of their own species by the 15th century, but the ferocity of this powerful raptor would continue to live on in Maori legend as the flying man-eater.

Description
With a wingspan measuring a colossal three meters, this giant raptor was the top predator of New Zealand.

This massive bird of prey was twice the weight of today's largest eagle. With talons the size of a tiger's claws, and a flight speed of 80 kilometres per hour, the Haast Eagle struck fear into the hearts and souls of the Maori people.

Harpagornis was the largest bird of prey the world has ever seen, second only to Argentavis of South America. With it's immense strength and large size, this areal predator was specialized for hunting large two-legged prey, including humans. The Haast Eagle was the most feared creature by the Maoris, so much so, that it had earned a place in their folklore and legends, and was given tree different names: Pouakai, Hokioi, and Hakawai.

Soon after it's main prey, the moas, were eventually hunted to extinction by the Maoris after their arrival on the New Zealand islands, the numbers of the Haast Eagle plummeted disastrously, leading to the extinction of their own species by the 15th century, but the ferocity of this powerful raptor would continue to live on in Maori legend as the flying man-eater.