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Moa
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Illustration of a female moa (Dinornis robustus), a large, extinct, flightless bird with an ostrich-like appearance, long neck, and shaggy brownish feathers, shown standing upright with a size scale beside it.
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Illustration of a female moa (Dinornis robustus), a large, extinct, flightless bird with an ostrich-like appearance, long neck, and shaggy brownish feathers, shown standing upright with a size scale beside it.
female South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) According to Māori tradition, moa were swift runners that defended themselves by kicking when cornered.

Moa

extinct bird
Also known as: Dinornithiformes
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Moa, (order Dinornithiformes), any of several extinct ostrichlike flightless birds native to New Zealand and constituting the order Dinornithiformes. The number of different species is in dispute, estimates varying from 9 to 64. Among these species, individuals ranged in size from as big as a turkey to larger than an ostrich; some stood as tall as 3 metres (10 feet) and weighed as much as 250 kg (about 550 pounds). The name moa came from...

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