The South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) is a member of the moa family. It was a ratite and a member of the order Dinornithiformes. The Dinornithiformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of these birds is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas in which they have been found. The South Island giant moa was the biggest of them all. Adult females stood up to 2 metres high at the back, and could reach foliage up to 3.6 metres off the ground, making them the tallest bird species known. It lived on the South Island of New Zealand, and its habitat was the lowlands (shrubland, duneland, grassland, and forests). Order: Dinornithiformes, Family: Dinornithidae.
Synonyms:
Dinornis ingens var. robustus Owen, 1846
Palapteryx robustus (Owen 1846) Owen 1851a
Dinornis maximus Haast 1869
Dinornis altus Owen 1879
Dinornis validus Hutton 1891
Dinornis potens Hutton 1891
Dinornis strenuus Hutton 1893
Dinornis torosus Hutton 1891
Palapteryx plenus Hutton 1891
