Extinct species of bird
South Island giant moa
Skeleton, likely of an adult male
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Infraclass:
Palaeognathae
Order:
† Dinornithiformes
Family:
† Dinornithidae
Genus:
† Dinornis
Species:
†D. robustus
Binomial name
† Dinornis robustus
Synonyms
Dinornis ingens var. robustus Owen, 1846
Palapteryx robustus (Owen, 1846) Owen, 1851
Dinornis maximus Haast, 1869
Dinornis altus Owen, 1879
Dinornis validus Hutton, 1891
Dinornis potens Hutton, 1891
Dinornis strenuus Hutton, 1893
Dinornis torosus Hutton, 1891
Palapteryx plenus Hutton, 1891
The South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus ) is an extinct species of moa in the genus Dinornis , known in Māori by the name moa nunui .[ 2] It was one of the tallest-known bird species to walk the Earth, exceeded in weight only by the heavier but shorter elephant bird of Madagascar (also extinct).[citation needed ]
^ Gill, B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; et al. (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica (PDF) (Report) (4th ed.). Ornithological Society of New Zealand / Te Papa Press. Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via nzbirdsonline.org.nz.
^ Doyle, Trent (15 November 2023). "Scientists reveal fossilised moa footprints in Otago are at least 3.6 million years old" . Newshub . Retrieved 23 February 2024 .