These birds of prey were so feared by our ancestors that they inspired myths and legends still told today…
What was the largest and deadliest eagle that ever lived?
The largest eagle ever was Haast’s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei), an extinct raptor that cast terror-inducing shadows over New Zealand’s South Island up until its extinction in 1445. This 18kg monster weighed twice as much as the extant harpy eagle, today’s heaviest eagle, and had a wingspan that measured almost 3m.
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While Haast’s eagle may have been the largest eagle to ever live, it isn’t the only airborne super predator known from Oceania.
The recently described Dynatoaetus gaffae, or Gaff’s powerful eagle, weighed up to 12kg, had a similarly large wingspan and, potentially, even longer talons. On the other side of the world, in present-day Cuba, another now-extinct >10kg eagle known as Gigantohierax lived for several thousand years, hunting sloths and giant rats.
What did Haast’s eagle eat?
As the largest and deadliest predator on New Zealand’s South Island, Haast’s eagle had its pick of prey. This included ducks, swans, geese, and large, flightless birds known as Moas. At 200kg, these birds were more than ten times the weight of Haast’s eagle, yet they proved no match for its dagger-sharp talons and curved beak.
From remains of Haast’s eagle, as well as historic Māori cave art, researchers are pretty sure they were pale-headed. This has led researchers to hypothesise that they fed by plunging their heads deep into the body cavities of their prey, disembowelling them as they sought out nutritious organs - just like a lot of vultures do today.
Where do the myths of Haast’s eagle hunting humans come from?
It’s widely considered that Haast’s eagle inspired the infamous pouākai of Māori mythology, a monstrous bird that would sometimes kill and eat humans. While researchers believe Haast’s eagle was large enough to do so, there’s no evidence of them actually preying on humans.
What we do have evidence of, however, is the Māori hunting moa to extinction. These endemic, flightless birds were the favoured prey of Haast’s eagle and after they faced extinction in the early 1400s, just over a century after New Zealand was discovered and settled by Polynesians, Haast’s eagle soon followed suit.
Are there any eagles alive today capable of hunting humans?
While there are lots of documented cases of harpy eagles snatching monkeys out of trees, there’s no evidence of them or any of their similarly large relatives hunting and killing humans.
That said, there is substantial evidence of a smaller eagle, the crowned eagle, preying on humans. At just 4.5kg and with a wingspan of 1.8m, crowned eagles are small compared to the other ‘killer’ eagles on this list, yet they’re considered one of the most powerful with respect to their prey’s body size.
There are several eyewitness reports of crowned eagles attacking, maiming, and even killing small children in recent times, but it’s the fossilised remains of one of our distant ancestors that gives us the best evidence of this eagle actively hunting humans.
In 1924, the skull of a small, primitive hominin was discovered and later used to describe a brand-new species, Australopithecus africanus. Close analysis of this skull revealed damage to the skull and puncture holes in the eye sockets. These marks were consistent with those made by crowned eagles on modern primates, leading researchers to believe this unlucky hominin met death from above.
Top image: Haast's eagle attacking moa by John Megahan by John Megahan - Ancient DNA Tells Story of Giant Eagle Evolution. PLoS Biol 3(1): e20. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030020.g001, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52877