Bush moa
| Bush moa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Anomalopteryx didiformus skeleton | |
| Conservation status | |
| Extinct | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Superorder: | Paleognathae |
| Order: | Dinornithiformes |
| Family: | †Dinornithidae |
| Genus: | †Anomalopteryx Reichenbach 1852 |
| Species: | †Anomalopteryx didiformis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anomalopteryx didiformis (Owen 1844)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dinornis didiformis Owen, 1844 | |
Anomalopteryx is an extinct bird genus known colloquially as the lesser moa, little bush moa. or bush moa. It stood more than 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) tall and weighed 30 kilograms (66 lb). It inhabited much of the North Island and small sections of the South Island of New Zealand. Its habitat was lowland conifer, broad-leafed, and beech forests.[2]
It is a ratite and a member of the order Dinornithiformes. The Dinornithiformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate.[2]
The most complete remains, a partially articulated skeleton with substantial mummified tissue were discovered in 1980 in Echo Valley. It is now in the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, in Invercargill, New Zealand.
Footnotes
References
- Brands, Sheila (Aug 14, 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Genus Anomalopteryx". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved Feb 4, 2009.
- Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Moas". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 95–98. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
External links
- Little Bush Moa. Anomalopteryx didiformis. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006