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'''Moa''' were a number of species of large, flightless birds, [[endemic]] to New Zealand, ranging in size from a little larger than a turkey to 13 feet tall, the tallest known birds. They were hunted to extinction shortly after the arrival of the native [[Maori]] population in the mid-15th century.
'''Moa''' were a number of species of large, flightless birds, [[endemic]] to New Zealand, ranging in size from a little larger than a turkey to 13 feet tall, the tallest known birds. They were hunted to extinction shortly after the arrival of the native [[Maori]] population in the mid-15th century.
==Description==
Moas were stout-bodied birds with long necks and large legs. Illustrations depict them as being entirely erect in the manner of ostriches, but in reality their posture was that of emus or cassowaries, the body kept horizontal when walking, with the neck held in a gentle forward loop. The head was relatively small in relation to the body, with small eye sockets and large olfactory regions, indicating they may have had poor eyesight but a good sense of smell. Moas are also distinctive in that they are the only birds known not to have wings, not even vestigial ones.
The only feathers known come from the upland moa (''Megalapteryx didinus''), with were dark at the base, gradually turning to a greyish-white at the tip, and possibly giving the live bird a light speckling appearance over a dark coat. They were rough and rather hair-like in texture, similar to a kiwi, lacking the barbules which link the filaments together as in other birds.
==Species==
==Species==
*Family Emeidae
*Family Emeidae
:Genus ''Anomalopteryx''
:Genus ''Anomalopteryx''
::Bush moa, ''Anomalopteryx didiformis''
::Little bush moa, ''Anomalopteryx didiformis''
:Genus ''Emeus''
:Genus ''Emeus''
::Eastern moa, ''Emeus crassus''
::Eastern moa, ''Emeus crassus''
:Genus ''Euryapteryx''
:Genus ''Euryapteryx''
::Coastal moa, ''Euryapteryx curtus''
::Coastal moa, ''Euryapteryx curtus''
::Stout-legged moa, ''Euryapteryx gravis''
:Genus ''Pachyornis''
:Genus ''Pachyornis''
::Crested moa, ''Pachyornis australis''
::Crested moa, ''Pachyornis australis''