Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 29, 2026

Lesser moa

The lesser moa were a family in the moa order Dinornithiformes. About two-thirds of all moa species are in the lesser moa family. The moa were ratites from New Zealand: flightless birds with a sternum but without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of the ratites is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas that they have been found in.

Last revised
May 29, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Lesser moa
Temporal range: Pleistocene-Holocene
Skeleton of the eastern moa (Emeus crassus) in Musee des Confluences, Lyon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Order: †Dinornithiformes
Family: †Emeidae
(Bonaparte, 1854)1
Type species
Emeus crassus
(Owen, 1846) Reichenbach 1853 non Parker 18951
Species

Anomalopteryx didiformis Bush moa
Emeus crassus Eastern moa
Euryapteryx curtus Broad-billed moa
Pachyornis australis Crested moa
Pachyornis elephantopus Heavy-footed moa
Pachyornis geranoides Mantell's moa

The lesser moaa (family Emeidae) were a family in the moa order Dinornithiformes. About two-thirds of all moa species are in the lesser moa family.2 The moa were ratites from New Zealand: flightless birds with a sternum but without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of the ratites is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas that they have been found in.3

Species

Currently, six species of lesser moa are recognised, belonging to four genera. These are:34

Notes

Notes

  1. The word “moa” is from the Māori language, and is both singular and plural. Usage in New Zealand English and in the scientific literature in recent years has been changing to reflect this.
References

References

  1. Checklist Committee Ornithological Society of New Zealand (2010). "Checklist-of-Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands and the Ross Dependency Antarctica" (PDF). Te Papa Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  2. "moa | Size, Extinction, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  3. Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Moas". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 95–98. ISBN 978-0-7876-5784-0.
  4. Stephenson, Brent (5 January 2009). "New Zealand Recognised Bird Names (NZRBN) database". New Zealand: Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2022.