Haast Eagle Height
An eagle is a large bird in the Accipitridae family that is commonly seen all over the world. You may have heard of or seen an eagle once in your life, but have you ever wondered what the largest and heaviest eagle in the world could be?
The Haast’s eagle or Hieraaetus moorei is an extinct eagle that once lived on New Zealand’s South Island.
Among New Zealand’s prehistoric fauna, this massive endemic eagle was the largest predator.
The Haast’s eagle was unlike any other bird of prey alive today, but it’s sad that it did not live long.
With an average length of 130 – 140 cm (4ft 3in – 4ft 7in), the Haast’s eagle was the largest known eagle.
Females were estimated to be up to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) long, with a standing height of 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) or slightly higher.
| Height | Centimeter | Feet/Inches |
| Haast Eagle | 130 – 140 cm | 4ft 3in – 4ft 7in |
Haast Eagle Weight
Other than their insane height, the Haast Eagles are also very heavy. Although there is no evidence that Haast’s Eagle preyed on humans, researchers believe it was large and strong enough.
The Haast’s eagle hunted large, flightless bird species such as the moa, which could weigh up to fifteen times the eagle’s weight. It is thought that they ate large animals weighing between 100-200 kg.
For all of these reasons, the Haast’s Eagle was the most powerful and largest bird of prey that ever existed.
The bird’s magnificent size and body mass make it a formidable predator. The Haast eagle weighs on average 15 kg (33 lb).
| Weight | Grams | Kilograms | Pounds |
| Haast Eagle | 1500 g | 15 kg | 33 lb |
The female Haast Eagle is usually larger than their male counterparts. The female weighs about 10-15 kg (22-33 lb), whereas the male weighs about 9-12 kg (20-26 lb).
Haast Eagle Wingspan
Another intriguing aspect of the Haast Eagle is its enormous wings. The wings of the bird are large and quite strong.
The entire length of the wings of the Eagle is measured from the tip of one of its wings to the tip of the other wing.
You can even use the value of its wingspan to compare it with other birds to see how effective it would be during the flight.
Furthermore, it is thought to have weighed more in relation to wing size than any living eagle today.
Their wings were short and designed for flapping flight through dense forests. The wingspan of the Haast Eagle ranges from 2.5 to 3 meters or about 10 feet, which is quite large.
| Wingspan | Centimeter | Inches | Feet |
| Haast Eagle | 300 cm | 118.1 | 10 ft |
Haast Eagle Claw/Talon Size
The Haast Eagle as we know now was a large bird, but how do we know how effective it was during its hunting? You can know about this by looking at the size and strength of its claw or talons.
Talons are sharp, hooked claws at the tips of the toes. Talons are commonly associated with eagles, hawks, and other birds of prey, including the Haast Eagle.
The talons of the Haast eagle are similar to those of modern eagles, indicating that it used its talons for hunting rather than scavenging.
The Haast Eagle was a large-bodied eagle with a large head, bill, legs, and talons. The extinct giant, known as Haast’s eagle, used its sharp talons and beak to grip and pierce living prey.
The harpy eagle’s talons were similar in length to those of the Haast’s eagle, with a front-left talon length of 4.9 to 6.15 cm (1+15⁄16 to 2+7⁄16 in) and a hallux-claw of possibly up to 11 cm (4+1⁄2 in).
| Talon size | front-left talon length | Hallux-claw length |
| Haast Eagle | 4.9 to 6.15 cm (1+15⁄16 to 2+7⁄16 in) | 11 cm (4+1⁄2 in) |
The talons of the Haast Eagle were large and very strong which allowed the bird to hunt down large birds.
Haast Eagle Size Compared To Human
Now that we know that the Haast Eagle is a large bird of prey, it would be quite interesting to see where they stand in terms of size when compared to us! Humans are one of the larger and more advanced species.
Some research shows that due to the large size and great strength of the Haast Eagles it may have been possible that these birds preyed on humans as well.
It was certainly capable of bringing someone down. This is because an adult human is less than half the size of an adult moa, and a human child would have been nothing more than a snack.
While humans have an average body mass of about 60 to 90 kg (132-176 lb), the mass of the Haast Eagle is about 15 kg (33 lb), which is quite less.
However, the Haast Eagle hunted the moa, which weighed about 250 kg (551 lb), much more than the average adult human.
Additionally, the average height of humans is about 5.5 to 5.9 feet, while the overall size of the Haast Eagle including its wingspan is about 10 feet. Can you see the difference? The Haast Eagle is much larger than us!
Haast Eagle Size Vs Sea Eagle
Comparing the bird with different species is interesting, but the best part is to compare it with its own family species.
Sea eagles are large eagles that live near rivers, large lakes, and tide water. It is a massive eagle with a large head and a massive orange bill.
Even from a distance, adults are striking. For example, the Steller’s sea eagle, often referred to as the world’s most magnificent bird of prey is dark, impressive, and the largest of all sea eagles.
If we talk about the largest sea eagle, the Steller’s sea eagle, its overall length is about 86.5 – 105 cm (34.1 – 41.3 in), weighs 5 to 10 kg (11 to 22 lb), and has a wingspan of 6.5 to 8.2 feet.
Whereas, the Haast eagle on the other hand has a height of 130 – 140 cm (4ft 3in – 4ft 7in), weighs 15 kg (33 lb), and has a wingspan of up to 10 feet.
| Bird | Height | Weight | Wingspan |
| Sea Eagle (Steller’s sea Eagle) | 86.5 – 105 cm (34.1 – 41.3 in) | 5 to 10 kg (11 to 22 lb) | 6.5 to 8.2 feet |
| Haast Eagle | 130 – 140 cm (4ft 3in – 4ft 7in) | 15 kg (33 lb) | 10 feet |
The Haast Eagle is larger, heavier, and has a larger wingspan than the largest sea eagle out there.
Haast Eagle Size Vs Harpy Eagle
Moving on to another eagle, the Harpy eagle is a legendary, bold, and beautiful bird of prey that few people have seen in its natural habitat.
The Harpy Eagle of the Neotropical Rainforest lives at low elevations where it can find prey and large trees to nest in. The Harpy Eagle or Harpia harpyja is one of the world’s largest and most powerful raptors.
The overall standing length of the Harpy Eagle is in the range of 86.5 to 107 cm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in), weighs 4-4.8kg (8.8-10.6lb) and has a wingspan of about 176 to 224 cm (5 ft 9 in to 7 ft 4 in).
On the other hand, the Haast eagle stands 130-140 cm (4ft 3in – 4ft 7in) tall, weighs 15 kg (33 lb) and has a wingspan of up to 10 feet.
| Bird | Height | Weight | Wingspan |
| Harpy Eagle | 86.5 to 107 cm | 4-4.8kg (8.8-10.6lb) | 5 ft 9 in to 7 ft 4 in |
| Haast Eagle | 130-140 cm (4ft 3in – 4ft 7in) | 15 kg (33 lb) | 10 feet |
Like in the case of the Steller’s sea eagle, here too the Haast eagle is much longer, has greater weight and has a larger wingspan than the Harpy Eagle.
Conclusion
And that was everything you need to know about the size of the Haast eagle. I hope this article was informative enough and you got something useful from it.
Thank You For Reading!
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