Wikijunior:Extinct Birds/Upland moa

an upland moa's skeleton

The upland moa is an extinct bird.

How big and heavy were they?

It was a little less than 1 metre tall and weighed between 17 and 34 kilograms. It was rather small for a moa.

Where and when were they found?

It lived in mountainous regions in New Zealand, before it became extinct about 500 years ago.

How did they look?

Unlike most other types of moa, it was nearly completely covered in feathers. This was probably because it lived in rather cold places. They had no wings and no tail.

What did they eat?

They were herbivores, meaning that they did not eat meat. We know this because we looked at the structure of their mouth, objects in their stomachs and their droppings.

What were their eggs like?

They normally laid one or two blue-green eggs. The male upland moas looked after the chicks and eggs.

Did they have any predators?

Upland moas being hunted by a haast's eagle.

Before humans arrived, they were predated by haast's eagle, which is also now extinct. They became extinct due to hunting by humans and, though not as much, by their habitat being destroyed.