Dinornis
| Giant moa Temporal range: Pleistocene to Late Holocene)
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| Genus: | Dinornis
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The giant moa (Dinornis) is an extinct genus of ratite bird belonging to the moa family.
It was one of the largest birds that ever lived, standing 3 m (10 ft) tall and weighing 250 kg. It had reddish brown, hair-like feathers that covered most of its body except the lower legs and most of the head (plus a small portion of the neck below the head). The feet were large and powerful, and the bird had a long neck that allowed it to reach tall vegetation. Overall the giant moa probably resembled a heavy ostrich. It filled the ecological niche of grazing mammals on the mainland.
The giant moa, along with other moas, was wiped out by human colonists who hunted it for food.
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