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Fossil dung reveals where ancient moa ate

Giant Haast's eagle attacking New Zealand moa

Thousands of the three-metre tall birds likely had a major influence on the plant life of New Zealand say researchers (Source: John Megahan/PLOS Biology)

Poo clues Being three and a half metres tall and weighing more than 200 kilograms didn't save the giant moa from extinction, along with 11 smaller moa species on the islands of New Zealand.

The ancient Maori, who may have hunted the massive flightless birds to extinction, probably knew well the moas' favourite habitats.

But, for modern biologists, how moa's used and shared the environment remained a mystery. Now dung has helped scientists decipher the mysterious movements of the moa.

A team of Australian and New Zealand researchers analysed pollen and other clues in fossilised faeces from four species of the extinct bird. Each species' faeces contained different mixtures of plant remains. By matching the fossil plant species mixture with modern habitats, the researchers traced where the birds spent their time, before they disappeared in the early 1400s.

The giant moa (Dinornis robustus) fed in the transition zone between forests and grassland.

A smaller bird, the upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus), ate a more generalist diet with a mixture of foods from both woods and fields.

The bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformus) grew to 1.3 meters tall while feeding mostly in the forest.

The heavy-footed moa (Pachyornis elephantopus) trod the grasslands of ancient New Zealand while it ate.

Thousands of hungry three-metre tall birds likely had a major influence on the plant life of New Zealand. After the extinction of the moa, the authors note that no other animal followed in the massive footprints of the moa. Without its primary herbivore, the plant life of New Zealand may have suffered an ecological shock.


Tags: fossils, birds