moa

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

female South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus)

Read Next

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)

Why Do Animals Have Tails?

Hungry Pelican waiting to be fed, beak open, Australia

Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Discover

Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece

Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

moa: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

CGF calls for collaboration with MoA to enhance food sovereignty • Jan. 28, 2025, 1:54 AM ET (The Point)

Facts

Also Known As	Dinornithiformes

Photos

female South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus)

See All Images →

Topics

greater moa lesser moa Holocene Epoch extinction Miocene Epoch human-induced extinction passeriform charadriiform anseriform falconiform pelecaniform piciform coraciiform columbiform gruiform ciconiiform

Quiz

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

List

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. (birds)

15 of the Best Birdsongs (According to Britannica)

Demystified

Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

Do Birds Pee?