The giant flightless bird from New Zealand that reached about 3.6 meters and vanished around 1440 was the moa.
Moa were an extinct group of birds in the order Dinornithiformes, with nine known species in six genera. They lived only in New Zealand and occupied habitats ranging from forests to open grasslands. The tallest species, including Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached roughly 3.6 meters when standing with the neck extended and could weigh around 230 kilograms.
Moa were unusual even among flightless birds because they had no wings at all—not even the small vestigial wings found in other ratites such as ostriches and emus. They were primarily plant-eaters, browsing on leaves, twigs, fruits, and other vegetation.
Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand around 1300 and hunted moa for meat. Habitat burning and introduced Polynesian rats also affected their populations. Most evidence places their rapid extinction in the 15th century, approximately 1440. Their disappearance also doomed Haast's eagle, which relied heavily on large moa as prey.