The large flightless bird native to New Zealand that was hunted to extinction by Māori was the moa. Moa was a group of several related bird species rather than just one species, and some were among the largest birds ever to live. The biggest species stood several metres tall when stretching its neck upright.
Moa evolved in New Zealand, an isolated landmass with few native land predators. Before humans arrived, their main natural predator was Haast’s eagle, an enormous extinct raptor. Because moa could not fly, they were vulnerable when Polynesian settlers, ancestors of the Māori, reached New Zealand.
Moa were hunted for meat, and their bones and feathers were used by people. Forest clearance also reduced habitat. Archaeological and radiocarbon evidence suggests that all moa species disappeared within roughly a century of human settlement, by about 1445. The dodo and elephant bird were also flightless, but they lived on islands far from New Zealand and were different birds.