page_title: North Island giant moa
section_title: Taxonomy
hierarchical_section_title: North Island giant moa / Taxonomy
caption_attribution_description: English: The giant moa (Dinornis novaezealandiae) is an extinct genus of ratite birds belonging to the moa family. It was endemic to New Zealand. In Rothschild's book 'Extinct Birds' this moa has been given the scientific name Dinornis ingens.
context_page_description: The North Island giant moa is one of two extinct moa in the genus Dinornis.
context_section_description: It is a ratite and a member of the order Dinornithiformes.  The Dinorthiformes are flightless birds with a sternum but without a keel.  They also have a distinctive palate.  The origin of these birds is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas where they have been found.
caption: Restoration by Frohawk
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