Dinornis robustus

South Island giant moa (†Dinornis robustus Owen, 1846))

Class: Aves

Superorder: Paleognathae

Order: Dinornithiformes

Family: Dinornithidae

Time period: They became extinct, probably in the 12th or 17th century (the South Island of New Zealand)

Size: more than 3,5 in height, 150 - 300 kg of weight

Moa – the giant flightless birds that lived in New Zealand and became extinct at the end of the XVII century.
There are the moa family, among which Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae are the largest. These two species reached a height of 3,5 m and weighed about 250 kg. They did not have wings, and even the rudiments. Moa ate leaves, shoots and fruits. It is assumed that moa was destroyed by Maori aborigines, for whom these birds were easy prey.