moas
Gone flightless birds
Moas were giant flightless birds native to New Zealand, hunted to extinction by the 15th century.
The largest species stood over ten feet tall.
Unlike other flightless birds, moas lacked even vestigial wings.
They remain a touchstone in discussions of human-caused extinction: The dodo and the moa share a fate.
Largest living bird
- emuFlightless Australian bird
- kiwiFuzzy brown-skinned fruit
- cassowaryLarge flightless Australian bird
- elephant birdExtinct Madagascar megafauna
rhea · wingless · vestigial · ground-dwelling · terrestrial · feathered · foraging
Preserved ancient organism traces
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- subfossilPartially mineralized ancient remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
DNA analysis · feathers · eggshell · coprolites · radiocarbon dating · museum specimens · reconstruction · Owen
Disappeared from sight
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- overhuntedHunted beyond sustainability
- dodoVanished flightless bird
- elephant birdExtinct Madagascar megafauna
New Zealand's indigenous people
- AotearoaIndigenous name for NZ
- PolynesianOf Pacific island peoples
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
South Island · North Island · feathers · eggshells · hunting · extinction · endemic · subfossil
ostrich
Largest living bird
elephant bird · rhea · wingless · vestigial · ground-dwelling · terrestrial · feathered · foraging
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- subfossilPartially mineralized ancient remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
skeleton · DNA analysis · feathers · eggshell · coprolites · radiocarbon dating · museum specimens · reconstruction · Owen · scientific study
vanished
Disappeared from sight
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- overhuntedHunted beyond sustainability
- dodoVanished flightless bird
elephant bird · subfossil · Holocene · habitat loss · deforestation
Maori
New Zealand's indigenous people
- AotearoaIndigenous name for NZ
- PolynesianOf Pacific island peoples
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
deforestation · South Island · North Island · feathers · eggshells · hunting · extinction · endemic · subfossil
elephant bird
Extinct Madagascar megafauna
robust · large eggs · enormous · colossal
- prehistoric lifedinosaur, dinosaurs, triceratops, Velociraptor, velociraptor
- island ecologyoceanic islands, endemic species, archipelago, archipelagos, atoll
moaskiwis
Flightless birds or fuzzy fruits
ostriches · emus · cassowaries · rheas · modern birds
moaseagles
Large predatory birds
albatrosses · swifts · hummingbirds · raptors · hawks