Moa (Dinornis)
Dinornis robustus
Moas illustrate how isolated island faunas evolved distinctive large birds and how vulnerable they can be to human pressure.
Image: Natural History Museum, London · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Dinornis robustus
- Period
- Holocene
- Lived
- 0.7–0.001 Ma (700,000 years ago)
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Habitat
- Forest, Plains
- Mass (estimate)
- 230 kg
Description
Moas were large flightless birds without functional wings; the tallest Dinornis species are estimated to have reached about 3.6 metres in height. They ate leaves, twigs, fruit and other plants and occupied different ecological roles in New Zealand. Eggs, bones and stomach contents show variation in size and diet. All moa became extinct after human settlement, probably as a result of hunting and changes to their habitat.
Habitat
Forests, scrubland and grasslands of New Zealand.
Fossil sites
Harpers Cave, Canterbury
Cultural profile: New Zealand →
Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Moa