Pachyornis
Including P.‭ ‬elephantopus‭ (‬Heavy-footed Moa‭)‬,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬geranoides‭ (‬Mantell’s Moa‭)‬,‭ ‬and P.‭ ‬australis‭ (‬Crested Moa‭)‬.

Name: Pachyornis (thick bird).
Phonetic: Pak-e-or-niss.
Named By: Richard Lydekker‭ ‬-‭ ‬1891.
Synonyms: Anomalopteryx geranoides,‭ ‬Dinornis expunctus,‭ ‬Euryapteryx compacta,‭ ‬Euryapteryx Kuranui,‭ ‬Emeus booth,‭ ‬Emeus haasti,‭ ‬Emeus parkeri,‭ ‬Palapteryx geranoides,‭ ‬Euryapteryx geranoides,‭ ‬Pachyornis mappini are considered to be synonyms to P.‭ ‬geranoides.‭ ‬Dinornis elephantopus,‭ ‬Dinornis queenslandiae,‭ ‬Euryapteryx ponderosus,‭ ‬Pachyornis immanus,‭ ‬Pachyornis inhabilis,‭ ‬Pachyornis major,‭ ‬Pachyornis rothschildi,‭ ‬Pachyornis valgus.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Struthioniformes,‭ ‬Dinornithidae.
Species: P.‭ ‬elephantopus,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬geranoides,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬australis.‭ ‬2‭ ‬Further species are in the process of being studied at the time of writing.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Largest species‭ (‬P.‭ ‬elephantopus‭) ‬up to‭ ‬1.8‭ ‬meters tall at maximum elevation,‭ ‬and‭ ‬145‭ ‬kilograms in weight,‭ ‬other species as light as half this weight.
Known locations: Across New Zealand.
Time period: Pleistocene to Holocene,‭ ‬extinct around‭ ‬1400-1500AD.
Fossil representation: Several individuals.




       The Pachyornis genus of moa has a taxonomic history going all the way back to the early days of moa study,‭ ‬though like with many other moa genera,‭ ‬the first remains of Pachyornis were attributed to the Dinornis genus.‭ ‬The Pachyornis genus was spread across virtually all of New Zealand,‭ ‬with P.‭ ‬australis being most common in the northern and southern regions of South Island,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬elephantopus being known from South Island,‭ ‬and P.‭ ‬geranoides being known from North Island,‭ ‬South Island and Stewart Island.‭
       So far the largest species of Pachyornis is P.‭ ‬elephantopus,‭ ‬which can weigh as much as one hundred and forty-five kilograms,‭ ‬while smaller species such as P.‭ ‬australis were about seventy-five kilograms.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬australis also stands out because of pitting on the back of the skull which were likely attachment points for large crest forming display feathers,‭ ‬hence the more common name of‭ ‬Crested‭ ‬Moa.‭ ‬This pitting however has also been seen in other moa species,‭ ‬including other species of Pachyornis,‭ ‬so in this respect the crest of Pachyornis may not have been that unique amongst‭ ‬the‭ ‬moa.
       As a whole,‭ ‬Pachyornis tend to be more heavily built than other moa genera,‭ ‬with the species P.‭ ‬elephantopus being noted as particularly robust.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Genus Pachyornis‭ ‬-‭ ‬Catalogue of the Fossil Birds in the British Museum‭ (‬Natural History‭) ‬-‭ ‬Richard Lydekker‭ ‬-‭ ‬1891.
-‭ ‬Rediscovery of the types of Dinornis curtus Owen and Palapteryx geranoides Owen,‭ ‬with a new synonymy‭ (‬Aves:‭ ‬Dinornithiformes‭) ‬-‭ ‬Tuhinga‭ (‬16‭)‬:‭ ‬33‭–‬43‭ ‬-‭ ‬Trevor H.‭ ‬Worthy‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.
-‭ ‬Reconstructing the tempo and mode of evolution in an extinct clade of birds with ancient DNA:‭ ‬The giant moas of New Zealand‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences‭ ‬102‭ (‬23‭)‬:‭ ‬8257‭–‬8262‭ ‬-‭ ‬Allan J.‭ ‬Baker,‭ ‬Leon J.‭ ‬Huynen,‭ ‬Oliver Haddrath,‭ ‬Craig D.‭ ‬Millar‭ & ‬David M.‭ ‬Lambert‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites