| Brief Description |
A left femur or thigh bone, one of the strongest bones in a bird’s body. A moa’s femur and knee were held almost horizontally, concealed by body feathers. This bone were collected during a Museum excavation in 1936–37 from a mud hole near Makirikiri, Whanganui.
The Bush Moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) was a common inhabitant of wetter New Zealand forest, and the most widespread moa species. It was just over 1 m high at the shoulder, with females somewhat bigger than males. Its sharp-edged beak and the number of gizzard stones found with skeletons suggest it ate fibrous plant material. Like all moa species, the Bush Moa was wiped out by human hunting about 500 years ago.
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