Moa is the Only Bird Without Wings - Neatorama

The Moa was the only wingless bird that ever existed.

The moa were hunted to extinction by 1500 by the Maori in New Zealand. They were the only species of birds with no wings. But wait, you say, what about kiwis, emus, and ostriches? Well, these flightless birds, a group of birds called ratites, actually do have wings (some of them vestigials).

Oh, and one more thing. I mentioned New Zealand - have you ever asked yourself where is Old Zealand? New Zealand is actually named after Zeeland, a major seafaring province of the Netherlands, by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642 (yup, the island of Tasmania is named after him). Captain James Cook misspelled it New Zealand and the name stuck ever since.

NZ is a great place to vacation since tourism is a large part of their economy, of course that is if you have the money for it and don't mind a 14 hour flight (on average). Best place to see Kiwi is The Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter. During the tour after showing you the hatching/incubation labs, they have a dim lit room where you can lean over the side and watch them run around and have a snack the keepers put out for them. It's an impressive operation they have going in my opinion.

http://www.kiwiencounter.co.nz/

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Poor moas. Elephant birds and dodos too. Europeans were not the only great destroyers- all peoples have a hand in the destruction of the Earth and its wonders.

Speaking of wonders, New Zealand is paradise on Earth.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Another awesome fact about moas, is that they were hunted by giant eagles... No joke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast's_Eagle

Unfortunately, they also died out after their food supply disappeared =(

bt

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

As a Kiwi, I must admit to a great disappointment that the Moa died out, it would be cool having one of these running around in the backyard.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Actually, it was the subspecies which lived up till the 17th century, they were unfortunately wiped out due to the need for the first settlers to maintain manicured `English` gardens. Attracted by the perfectly laid and cut grass in front of the new European style houses, this species became dependent on lawns. Unfortunately the owners were not going to allow these majestic birds to feast upon their gardens without retribution of the worst kind.... Thus, the sad demise of the wonderful, yet defenseless lawn moa came about.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

There ain't no moa.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Largefromage: that is laughably untrue. The Maori arrived in NZ in the 1300s and all evidence suggests that every species of moa was extinct within around 100 years, several centuries before there were any 'English gardens' for them to raid:

http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/moa/

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Largefromage is totally correct, the Lawn moa was so missed by the people that they made mechanical ones to keep them company. The bring them out on a weekly basis to remind themselves of what they have lost and to hear their melodic calls across suburbia.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

In the early '70s, I spent some time in NZ. In a government building in Wellington, was a large adult moa in a glass case on permanent display. A date in the 1800s was mentioned on the info card.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Login to comment.

Click here to access all of this post's 9 comments

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.