Elephant bird birds and human beings and their eventual extinction, as they apparently coexisted for a massive period of time. However, the absence so far for any evidence of human habitation in the succeeding 6000 years raises difficult questions concerning whether the early human presence might have been temporary, and/or restricted to just a portion of the island. Elephant bird Elephant birds are members of the extinct ratite family Aepyornithidae, made up of large to enormous flightless birds that once lived on the island of Madagascar. They became extinct, perhaps around 1000–1200 CE, for reasons that are unclear, although human activity is
North Island piopio North Island piopio The North Island piopio ("Turnagra tanagra") was a passerine bird of the family Oriolidae. The North Island piopio is now considered to be extinct. For many years, the North Island piopio was considered to be conspecific with the South Island piopio, but the two are now regarded as two separate species due to their pronounced differences in external appearance and osteology (Olson "et al.", 1983). An alternate name for the North Island piopio is the North Island thrush. The North Island piopio was endemic to the North Island of New Zealand and was described by Walter Buller