Editing Ratite (section)

=== Holocene extinct forms ===
At least nine species of [[moa]] lived in New Zealand before the arrival of humans, ranging from turkey-sized to the [[giant moa]] ''[[Dinornis robustus]]'' with a height of {{convert|3.7|m|ftin}} and weighing about {{convert|230|kg|lb}}.<ref name = Grzimelek /> They became extinct by A.D. 1400 due to hunting by [[Māori people|Māori]] settlers, who arrived around A.D. 1280.

''[[Aepyornis maximus]]'', the "elephant bird" of [[Madagascar]], was the heaviest bird ever known. Although shorter than the tallest moa, a large ''A. maximus'' could weigh over {{convert|400|kg|lb}} and stand up to {{convert|3|m|ftin}} tall.<ref name = Grzimelek /> Accompanying it were three other species of ''[[Aepyornis]]'' as well as three species of the smaller genus ''[[Mullerornis]]''. All these species went into decline following the arrival of humans on Madagascar around 2,000 years ago, and were gone by the 17th or 18th century if not earlier.