Elephant bird bird" egg after it was radiographed. It is widely believed that the extinction of "Aepyornis" was a result of human activity. The birds were initially widespread, occurring from the northern to the southern tip of Madagascar. One theory states that humans hunted the elephant birds to extinction in a very short time for such a large landmass (the Blitzkrieg hypothesis). There is indeed evidence that they were hunted and their preferred habitats destroyed. Eggs may have been particularly vulnerable. 19th-century travelers saw eggshells used as bowls, and a recent archaeological study found remains of eggshells among the remains of human
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