page_title: Little eagle
section_title: Taxonomy
hierarchical_section_title: Little eagle / Taxonomy
caption_attribution_description: Comparison of the huge claws of Harpagornis moorei with those of its close relative the Hieraaetus morphnoides, the “little” eagle. The massive claws of H. moorei could pierce and crush bone up to 6 mm thick under 50 mm of skin and flesh.
context_page_description: The little eagle is a very small eagle native to Australia, measuring 45–55 cm in length and weighing 815 g, roughly the size of a peregrine falcon. It tends to inhabit open woodland, grassland and arid regions, shunning dense forest. It is a near relative of both the Palearctic booted eagle and the massive but now extinct Haast's eagle of New Zealand.
context_section_description: John Gould described the little eagle in 1841. The distinctive pygmy eagle has long been considered a subspecies, but a 2009 genetic study shows it to be distinctive genetically and warrants species status.
caption: Comparative morphology of Haast's eagle with its closest living relative the little eagle.
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