Extinct species of Dinornithiformes

Dinornithiforms are extinct flightless birds native to New Zealand. The number of different species is in dispute, with estimates varying from 13 to 25. Among these species, individuals ranged in size from that of a turkey to larger than that of an ostrich; some stood as much as 3 metres high.

The name moa came from a Polynesian word for fowl. According to Maori tradition, moas were swift runners that, when cornered, defended themselves by kicking. Early Polynesian peoples hunted moas for food; they made spear points, hooks, and ornaments from their bones, and water carriers from their eggs. Although the larger moas probably had become extinct by the end of the 17th century, a few smaller species may have survived into the 19th. Moas are chiefly browsers and grazers, grinding seeds, fruits, leaves, and grasses with the help of stones in the gizzard.