''Pachyornis'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

ratite Ratites () are a polyphyletic group consisting of all birds within the infraclass Palaeognathae that lack keels and cannot fly. They are mostly large, long-necked, and long-legged, the exception being the kiwi, which is also the only nocturnal ...

s from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

which belongs to the

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. Moa or MOA may also refer to: Arts and media * Metal Open Air, a Brazilian heavy metal festival * MOA Museum of Art in Japan * The Moas, New Zealand film awards People * Moa ...

family. Like all

s, ''Pachyornis'' is a flightless bird with a

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

that lacks a keel. They also have a distinctive

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

. The genus currently contains three currently recognised species: the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

, ''Pachyornis geranoides'', ''P. elephantopus'' and ''P. australis''. Two distinct genetic lineages, one each recovered from the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

, could possibly expand this number to five in the future. The three species of ''Pachyornis'' are the most stoutly built and heavy-legged across all species of

Dinornithiformes Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. Moa or MOA may also refer to: Arts and media * Metal Open Air, a Brazilian heavy metal festival * MOA Museum of Art in Japan * The Moas, New Zealand film awards People * Moa ...

, the species that exhibits the most extreme morphology of the genus is the heavy-footed moa ''P. elephantopus''. ''Pachyornis'' was generally similar to the eastern moa or the broad-billed moa of the genus ''Euryapteryx'', but differed in having a pointed bill and being more heavyset. At least one species, ''P. australis'', is assumed to have had a crest of long feathers on its head. The species went extinct following human colonization of New Zealand, with the possible exception of ''P. australis'', which may have already been extinct by then. File:Giant moa.jpg, Restoration of '' Dinornis giganteus'' and ''

Pachyornis elephantopus The heavy-footed moa (''Pachyornis elephantopus'') is an extinct species of moa from the lesser moa family. The heavy-footed moa was widespread across the South Island of New Zealand, and inhabited lowland environments like shrublands, dunelan ...

'', both from

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

NZBirds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3062168 Bird genera Ratites Holocene extinctions Extinct birds of New Zealand Anomalopteryginae