The broad-billed moa, stout-legged moa, or coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) is an extinct species of moa that was endemic to New Zealand. It is the only species in the genus Euryapteryx.
Taxonomy Euryapteryx curtus is a ratite and a member of the lesser moa family. The ratites are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate.
A 2009 genetic study showed that the species Euryapteryx gravis is a junior synonym of E. curtus. Following this, a study published in 2010 explained size differences among the remains as being a result of sexual dimorphism, which also occurs in other moa species. A 2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead. E. c. curtus, the nominate subspecies, was labeled the "coastal moa", while E. c. gravis was the "stout-legged moa".
The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce et al.:
Description
The broad-billed moa was a stout bird with a blunt and decurved bill, wide feet and short, thick legs. The species exhibits a notable variation in size due to sexual dimorphism: females generally weighed about twice as much as males. Like other moa, Euryapteryx curtus carried its head forward rather than upright, allowing it to comfortably feed on low-laying vegetation. Broad-billed moa also tended to be larger further south.
The windpipe of the broad-billed moa was elongated and looped through its body, which suggests that its call was deep and resonant, similar to that of the modern cassowary.
Behaviour and ecology
Diet Analysis of broad-billed moa gizzard remains and beak shape suggest that it primarily fed on leaves, fruits, and other herbaceous plants, unlike other moa species such as the giant moa, whose diet was more fibrous.
Reproduction
Like other moa species, the broad-billed moa likely had a clutch of one or two eggs per nesting season.
As of 2006, half of all complete or mostly complete moa eggs in museum collections are likely broad-billed moa specimens. Of the specimens traditionally given the name Euryapteryx gravis, the eggs have an average length of and width of , while the group traditionally assigned to the name Euryapteryx curtus had an average length of and width of .
Habitat and distribution Euryapteryx curtus was one of the most widespread moa species, inhabiting mostly open areas. These moa lived on both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand, and remains have also been recovered from nearby Stewart Island. It inhabited lowland environments like duneland, forest, shrubland, and grassland. Extinction The species presumably went extinct for the same reasons as proposed for other moa: overhunting by the Māori (who called them "moa hakahaka") after their arrival on the islands in the 14th century. References
External links Unmasking the secrets of the extinct moa.