moa

Everyday

1. A moa was a very large flightless bird that lived only in New Zealand; the tallest kinds stood taller than a person when reaching up. tree →
2. All moa are now extinct; they died out a few hundred years after people first arrived in New Zealand. tree →

In the lessons

In New Zealand history and science lessons, the moa is a key example of extinction caused by hunting and loss of forest after people arrived. Its only predator before humans was Haast's eagle, the biggest eagle ever, which died out too. Moa bones, eggs and feathers are kept in museums like Te Papa. Phrases: giant moa, moa bones, extinct moa, «gone the way of the moa» (New Zealand: gone for ever).

Examples

• The moa was a giant bird from New Zealand. tree →
• Moa could not fly because they had no wings at all. tree →
• Haast's eagle hunted moa. tree →
• The moa became extinct after people arrived. tree →
• We saw a huge moa skeleton at the museum. tree →
• Moa ate leaves, twigs and fruit. tree →
• (New Zealand) That old phone has gone the way of the moa. tree →
• Scientists study moa bones to learn how they lived. tree →

Note

Countable: a moa; the plural is moa (in New Zealand, following Māori) or moas. Pronounced «MOH-uh». The word comes from the Māori language. Related to emus and kiwis, which are also flightless birds. Myth: some people claim moa still live in remote forests, but there is no evidence.