Kingdom Animalia Family †Emeidae Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Superorder Paleognathae Scientific name Anomalopteryx Higher classification Moa Order Moa | |
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Genus †Anomalopteryx
Reichenbach 1852 Similar Moa, Bird, Eastern moa, Pachyornis, Broad‑billed moa | ||
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.
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.
The most complete remains, a partially articulated skeleton with substantial mummified tissue were discovered in 1980 in Lake Echo Valley, east of Te Anau, Southland. It is now in the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, in Invercargill.
References
Bush moa Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA