The crested moa, Pachyornis australis, were a species of moa from the family Dinornithidae. It is one of the 9 known species of moa to have existed. Moa are grouped together with emus, ostriches, kiwi, cassowaries, rheas, and tinamous in the cladePalaeognathae. Some of the species of this group are flightless and lacks a keel on their sternum. The name crested moa is due to pits being found in their skulls, suggesting they had crests of long feathers. These cranial pits are also found occasionally in Dinornis, Anomalopteryx, and other Pachyornis species.
Description
Pachyornis australis weighed around. The crested moa was smaller than the heavy-footed moa and their bones are sometimes mistaken for those of P. elephantopus due to their similar structure. Almost nothing is known about the feather pits on the crested moa's skull. It is likely the feathers were used in courtship rituals or to challenge rivals, but no feathers have been found so their color or size can only be speculated at.
Distribution and habitat
Pachyornis australis was endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, where it occupied the high altitudesub-alpine forests in the North West, particularly in the Nelson area. Crested moa remains have been found in the Honeycomb Hills Cave and other caves in the vicinity. It was the ecological equivalent of the heavy-footed moa in the subalpine zone. While their remains have occasionally been found together, the heavy-footed moa generally preferred warmer and drier lowland areas. However, it is likely the crested moa would have migrated from the high country to these more hospitable areas in winter.
Until recently it was thought that Pachyornis australis became extinct at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition roughly 10,000 years ago during a period of significant climatic upheaval. In 2012 however radiocarbon dating of crested moa remains from Bulmer Cavern showed that the specimen died between 1396 and 1442 AD, over 100 years after humans first settled on the Island. During the climatic changes before the settlers arrived, the crested moa followed the changes in elevation of their sub-alpine habitats with little change in their population size. Despite their relatively low numbers and limited habitat range, their extinction came later than all of the other moa species. Given that there is no evidence that crested moa were ever hunted by humans, it seems likely that their populations were too isolated and remote to have been accessed by humans. Instead, it is probable that the crested moa were wiped out by introduced mammals.
