The Haast’s eagle is a predatory bird that once lived in the forests of New Zealand. Its major food source was moa, which were large flightless birds that also lived in New Zealand. When humans first settled in New Zealand, they hunted moa to extinction. They also cleared forest land to make room for human settlements. What most likely happened to Haast’s eagles after humans settled in New Zealand?

Question

The Haast’s eagle is a predatory bird that once lived in the forests of New Zealand. Its major food source was moa, which were large flightless birds that also lived in New Zealand. When humans first settled in New Zealand, they hunted moa to extinction. They also cleared forest land to make room for human settlements. What most likely happened to Haast’s eagles after humans settled in New Zealand?
  A. 
Despite help from humans, Haast’s eagles went extinct due to natural changes.
  B. 
The Haast’s eagle population was not impacted by the changes caused by humans.
  C. 
Haast’s eagles went extinct due to changes made by humans to their natural habitat.
  D. 
The Haast’s eagle population increased in areas where humans built colonies.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

C. Haast’s eagles went extinct due to changes made by humans to their natural habitat.

This option is the most plausible because the extinction of the moa, the primary food source for Haast's eagles, combined with habitat destruction caused by human settlement, would have greatly impacted the eagle population, leading to their extinction.